hydroponic

/ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/

//ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk// adj

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

The verdict

“hydroponic” is uncommon English (frequency #58,091 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,091
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a plant; pertaining to or grown using hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil.

Key facts for hydroponic
PropertyValue
Headwordhydroponic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/
Letters10
Frequency rank#58,091
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hydroponic” 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). hydroponic 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

hydroponic is uncommon English at frequency #58,091 among 23,837 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of a plant; pertaining to or grown using hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for hydroponic, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from hydroponics. By surface analysis, hydro- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ic. The correct English form is hydroponic, spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-O-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a plant; pertaining to or grown using hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil.

Etymology

Back-formation from hydroponics. By surface analysis, hydro- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ic.

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 "hydroponic"?
"hydroponic" is spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-O-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/.
What does "hydroponic" mean?
As an adjective, "hydroponic" means: Of a plant; pertaining to or grown using hydroponics, a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions in water, without soil.
How do you pronounce "hydroponic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hydroponic" is /ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/. 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 "hydroponic"?
Back-formation from hydroponics. By surface analysis, hydro- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ic. 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 “hydroponic”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-Y-D-R-O-P-O-N-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌhaɪdɹəˈpɒnɪk/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list