hippocampus

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hippocampus" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hippocampus” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,309. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,309
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hippocampus · hippocampus · English

hippocampus · rank #29,309 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,309
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hoon

Nearest frequency peer: hoon (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hippocampus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hippocampus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hippocampus
PropertyValue
Headwordhippocampus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters11
Frequency rank#29,309
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hippocampus”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hippocampuslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “hoon” (#29,310), “Hannity” (#29,307), “hoot” (#29,311). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hippocampus” is #29,309. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around hippocampus, anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,309 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for hippocampus, with forms such as "hhippocampus", "hipocampus", and "hipopcampus". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus. The correct English form is hippocampus, spelled H-I-P-P-O-C-A-M-P-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.
  2. 2
    A part of the brain located inside the temporal lobe, consisting mainly of grey matter. It is a component of the limbic system and plays a role in memory and emotion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how hippocampus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Holonyms: limbic system < brain < central nervous system, CNS
  2. The hippocampus is central to the laying down of memories.

Etymology

From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus.

This word in other languages

hipocampo(Español)hippocampe(Français)Hippocampus(Deutsch)hipocampo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhippocampus
  • hipocampus
  • hipopcampus
  • hippcoampus
  • hippoacmpus
  • hippocammpus
  • hippocamppus
  • hippocampsu
  • hippocampuss
  • hippocamups
  • hippocapmus
  • hippoccampus
  • hippocmapus
  • hpipocampus
  • ihppocampus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hippocampus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

hhippocampus1hipocampus1hipopcampus2hippcoampus2hippoacmpus2hippocammpus1hippocamppus1hippocampsu2
Edit distance from "hippocampus"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hippocampus"?
"hippocampus" is spelled H-I-P-P-O-C-A-M-P-U-S.
What does "hippocampus" mean?
As a noun, "hippocampus" means: A mythological creature with the front head and forelimbs of a horse and the rear of a fish.
What are common misspellings of "hippocampus"?
Common misspellings include "hhippocampus", "hipocampus", "hipopcampus", "hippcoampus", "hippoacmpus". The correct spelling is "hippocampus".
What is the origin of the word "hippocampus"?
From Late Latin hippocampus, from Ancient Greek ἱππόκαμπος (hippókampos, from ῐ̔́ππος (hĭ́ppos, “horse”) + κάμπος (kámpos, “sea-monster”)). The anatomy sense is so named from its resemblance to the seahorse. By surface analysis, hippo- + campus. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "hippocampus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

materialize#29,367distasteful#29,244decapitated#29,237moisturizer#29,383

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

infrequent15 variantsmaturation15 variantsdielectric15 variantscamaraderie15 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list