hydroplane

/ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn/

//ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn// verb

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

The verdict

“hydroplane” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To skim the surface of a body of water while moving at high speed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hydroplane · hydroplane · English

hydroplane · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for hydroplane
PropertyValue
Headwordhydroplane
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hydroplane” in English

hydroplaneranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hydroplane is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for hydroplane in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: From hydro- + plane. The correct English form is hydroplane, spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-L-A-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To skim the surface of a body of water while moving at high speed.
  2. 2
    For a car or similar vehicle to slide along the road on a thin film of water between the road and the tyres. This occurs when a car has some speed and comes to somewhere with more water on the road than the weight of the car and the grooves in the tyre tread pattern (if any) can push away. The result is almost no traction at all for steering or braking.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Don't drive too fast on wet roads or the car may hydroplane and cause you to lose control of the vehicle.

Etymology

From hydro- + plane.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hydroplane"?
"hydroplane" is spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-L-A-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn/.
What does "hydroplane" mean?
As a verb, "hydroplane" means: To skim the surface of a body of water while moving at high speed.
How do you pronounce "hydroplane"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hydroplane" is /ˈhaɪdɹəʊˌpleɪn/. 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 "hydroplane"?
From hydro- + plane. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list