histrionic

/hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/

//hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk// adj

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

"histrionic" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“histrionic” is uncommon English (frequency #67,504 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,504
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to actors or acting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-histrionic · histrionic · English

histrionic · rank #67,504 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,504
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hiragana

Nearest frequency peer: hiragana (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “histrionic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “histrionic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for histrionic
PropertyValue
Headwordhistrionic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#67,504
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “histrionic” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).histrionicfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “hiragana” (#67,503), “hoary” (#67,505), “Hoffenheim” (#67,506). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “histrionic” is #67,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

histrionic is uncommon English at frequency #67,504 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for histrionic, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched”), from Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting and the theatre”), from histriō (“actor, player”) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). By surface analy… The correct English form is histrionic, spelled H-I-S-T-R-I-O-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to actors or acting.
  2. 2
    Excessively dramatic or emotional, especially with the intention to draw attention.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After three years of constant applause, Miss [Elizabeth] O'Neill directed her steps towards the summit of histrionick exertion, being engaged for the season of 1814 at Covent Garden, where she made her first entrée as Juliet, on the 6th of October, being at once recognised as the first Hibernian actress, who had joined transcendant beauty with rare histri…
  2. On Saturday, Miss F. H. Kelly played Belvidera for the first time, to a crowded House, and for her own benefit;—for her own benefit in every way, for the performance added a wreath to her histrionic laurels, and drew down the warmest testimonies of applause.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched”), from Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting and the theatre”), from histriō (“actor, player”) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). By surface analysis, histrion + -ic.

This word in other languages

histriónico(Español)théâtral(Français)Schauspiel-(Deutsch)

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 "histrionic"?
"histrionic" is spelled H-I-S-T-R-I-O-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/.
What does "histrionic" mean?
As an adjective, "histrionic" means: Of or relating to actors or acting.
How do you pronounce "histrionic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "histrionic" is /hɪstɹiːˈɒnɪk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "histrionic"?
Borrowed from Late Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting; scurrilous, shameful; wretched”), from Latin histriōnicus (“pertaining to acting and the theatre”), from histriō (“actor, player”) + -icus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). By sur... 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 "histrionic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hoffenheim#67,506improbably#67,525imputation#67,526integrally#67,531

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list