hydroponics

/ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/

//ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks// noun

"hydroponics" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hydroponics” is uncommon English (frequency #62,978 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,978
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The cultivation of plants in a nutrient solution rather than in the soil.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hydroponics · hydroponics · English

hydroponics · rank #62,978 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,978
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH IHC

Nearest frequency peer: IHC (+2 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 “hydroponics”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hydroponics
PropertyValue
Headwordhydroponics
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/
Letters11
Frequency rank#62,978
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hydroponics” 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).hydroponicsfalls 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: “IHC” (#62,980), “holodeck” (#62,975), “Hoey” (#62,974). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hydroponics” is #62,978. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hydroponics is uncommon English at frequency #62,978 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The cultivation of plants in a nutrient solution rather than in the soil.".

Zero misspellings are on record for hydroponics in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, 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- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ics. The correct English form is hydroponics, spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-O-N-I-C-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The cultivation of plants in a nutrient solution rather than in the soil.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Despite relying on water alone to grow plants, hydroponics systems require 90 percent less water than crops grown in soil, due to water recycling and the self-contained nature of the system. Because of the closed nature of the system, it is […]

Etymology

From hydro- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ics.

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 "hydroponics"?
"hydroponics" is spelled H-Y-D-R-O-P-O-N-I-C-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/.
What does "hydroponics" mean?
As a noun, "hydroponics" means: The cultivation of plants in a nutrient solution rather than in the soil.
How do you pronounce "hydroponics"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hydroponics" is /ˌhaɪdɹə(ʊ)ˈpɒnɪks/. 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 "hydroponics"?
From hydro- (“water”) + Ancient Greek πόνος (pónos, “work, labour”) + -ics. 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 "hydroponics", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list