hydrogen

/ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/

//ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n// noun

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

The verdict

“hydrogen” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,349. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,349
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hydrogen · hydrogen · English

hydrogen · rank #7,349 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,349
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hazard

Nearest frequency peer: hazard (-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 “hydrogen”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hydrogen” 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 hydrogen
PropertyValue
Headwordhydrogen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/
Letters8
Frequency rank#7,349
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hydrogen”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hydrogenlands 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 “hazard” (#7,348), “implies” (#7,350), “harbour” (#7,347). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hydrogen” is #7,349. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around hydrogen (IPA /ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,349 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for hydrogen, with forms such as "hdyrogen", "hhydrogen", and "hyddrogen". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French hydrogène (“hydrogen”), coined by the French chemists Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau (1737–1816) and Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794) from hydro- (prefix meaning ‘water’) + -gène (suffix denoting a producer of something), from the fact th… The correct English form is hydrogen, spelled H-Y-D-R-O-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008.
  2. 2
    The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008.
  3. 3
    Molecular hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H₂), a colourless, odourless and flammable gas at room temperature.
  4. 4
    Molecular hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H₂), a colourless, odourless and flammable gas at room temperature.
  5. 5
    Synonym of protium (“the lightest and most common isotope of hydrogen (sense 1; symbol H, ¹H, or 11H), as contrasted with deuterium and tritium”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Our professor then reminded us that a hydrogen ion is merely a proton, and thus we should think about acid-base theory as we consider this problem further.
  2. The ignis fatuus or Jack a lantern, ſo frequently alluded to by poets, is ſuppoſed to originate from the inflammable air, or Hydrogene, given up from moraſſes; […]

Etymology

Borrowed from French hydrogène (“hydrogen”), coined by the French chemists Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau (1737–1816) and Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794) from hydro- (prefix meaning ‘water’) + -gène (suffix denoting a producer of something), from the fact that water is produced as a compound when hydrogen is oxidized. * The prefix hydro- is borrowed from Ancient Greek ῠ̔δρο- (hŭdro-), from ῡ̆̔́δωρ (hū̆́dōr, “water”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wed- (“water”). * The suffix -gène is borrowed from Ancient Greek -γενής (-genḗs, suffix meaning ‘born in a certain condition or place’), from γένος (génos, “descendant, offspring; race; etc.”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵenh₁- (“to beget, produce; to give birth”)) + -ης (-ēs, suffix forming some third-declension adjectives). By surface analysis, hydro- (prefix meaning ‘water’) + -gen (suffix denoting a producer of something).

Synonyms

element 1hydrogen airhydrogen gashydrogeniuminflammable airwaterstuffdihydrogenE949hydrogen hydride

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hdyrogen
  • hhydrogen
  • hyddrogen
  • hydorgen
  • hydrgoen
  • hydroegn
  • hydrogenn
  • hydroggen
  • hydrogne
  • hydrrogen
  • hyrdogen
  • hyydrogen
  • yhdrogen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hydrogen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

hdyrogen2hhydrogen1hyddrogen1hydorgen2hydrgoen2hydroegn2hydrogenn1hydroggen1
Edit distance from "hydrogen"

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 "hydrogen"?
"hydrogen" is spelled H-Y-D-R-O-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/.
What does "hydrogen" mean?
As a noun, "hydrogen" means: The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008.
What are common misspellings of "hydrogen"?
Common misspellings include "hdyrogen", "hhydrogen", "hyddrogen", "hydorgen", "hydrgoen". The correct spelling is "hydrogen".
How do you pronounce "hydrogen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hydrogen" is /ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/. 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 "hydrogen"?
Borrowed from French hydrogène (“hydrogen”), coined by the French chemists Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau (1737–1816) and Antoine Lavoisier (1743–1794) from hydro- (prefix meaning ‘water’) + -gène (suffix denoting a producer of something), from t... 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 "hydrogen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list