homotopy

/həˈmɑtəpi/

//həˈmɑtəpi// noun

"homotopy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“homotopy” is uncommon English (frequency #76,857 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,857
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A continuous deformation of one continuous function or map to another.

Key facts for homotopy
PropertyValue
Headwordhomotopy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/həˈmɑtəpi/
Letters8
Frequency rank#76,857
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “homotopy” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). homotopy lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

homotopy is uncommon English at frequency #76,857 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /həˈmɑtəpi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for homotopy, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same, similar”) + τόπος (tópos, “place”); earliest known use in print in 1922, Oswald Veblen, Analysis Situs. The correct English form is homotopy, spelled H-O-M-O-T-O-P-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A continuous deformation of one continuous function or map to another.
  2. 2
    The relationship between two continuous functions where homotopy from one to the other is evident.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of homotopy theory (“the systematic study of homotopies and their equivalence classes”).
  4. 4
    A theory associating a system of groups with each topological space.
  5. 5
    A system of groups associated with a topological space.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same, similar”) + τόπος (tópos, “place”); earliest known use in print in 1922, Oswald Veblen, Analysis Situs.

This word in other languages

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 "homotopy"?
"homotopy" is spelled H-O-M-O-T-O-P-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /həˈmɑtəpi/.
What does "homotopy" mean?
As a noun, "homotopy" means: A continuous deformation of one continuous function or map to another.
How do you pronounce "homotopy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "homotopy" is /həˈmɑtəpi/. 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 "homotopy"?
From Ancient Greek ὁμός (homós, “same, similar”) + τόπος (tópos, “place”); earliest known use in print in 1922, Oswald Veblen, Analysis Situs. 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.

Using “homotopy”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is H-O-M-O-T-O-P-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /həˈmɑtəpi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list