hiccups
hic·cups/ˈhɪkəps/noun, verb
hiccups is spelled H-I-C-C-U-P-S: 7 letters and 2 syllables (hic·cups). It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, hiccups means “The condition of having the spasms of hiccupping; singultus; diaphragmatic myoclonus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in hiccups?
| Letters | 7: H-I-C-C-U-P-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: hic·cups |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is hiccups?
Hiccups appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce hiccups?
- /ˈhɪkəps/
- /ˈhɪkʌps/
Hiccups has 2 syllables, split hic·cups in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-hiccups.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of hiccups
- hiccoughs UK
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does hiccups mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The condition of having the spasms of hiccupping; singultus; diaphragmatic myoclonus.
He has the hiccups – give him a glass of water.
- 2
plural of hiccup
There were several loud hiccups from the back of the room, and the class erupted in laughter.
verb
- 1
third-person singular simple present indicative of hiccup
He shakes every time he hiccups.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Hiccups in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense the condition of having hiccup spasms:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hoquet |
| German | Schluckauf |
| Spanish | hipo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.