hydroxy

adj

"hydroxy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hydroxy” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,288. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,288
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Being, or containing a hydroxyl radical.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

hydroxy vs hydroxyl
88% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for hydroxy
PropertyValue
Headwordhydroxy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters7
Frequency rank#40,288
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hydroxy” 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). hydroxy lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around hydroxy, anadjective. Corpus frequency is #40,288 among 23,837 “H” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Being, or containing a hydroxyl radical.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for hydroxy, with forms such as "hdyroxy", "hhydroxy", and "hyddroxy". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "hydroxyl", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: hydro- + oxy The correct English form is hydroxy, spelled H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Being, or containing a hydroxyl radical.

Etymology

hydro- + oxy

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hdyroxy
  • hhydroxy
  • hyddroxy
  • hydorxy
  • hydroxxy
  • hydroxyy
  • hydroyx
  • hydrroxy
  • hydrxoy
  • hyrdoxy
  • hyydroxy
  • yhdroxy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hydroxy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

hdyroxy2hhydroxy1hyddroxy1hydorxy2hydroxxy1hydroxyy1hydroyx2hydrroxy1
Edit distance from "hydroxy"

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 "hydroxy"?
"hydroxy" is spelled H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y.
What does "hydroxy" mean?
As an adjective, "hydroxy" means: Being, or containing a hydroxyl radical.
What words are commonly confused with "hydroxy"?
"hydroxy" is commonly confused with "hydroxyl". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "hydroxy"?
hydro- + oxy 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 “hydroxy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-Y-D-R-O-X-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “hydroxyl” - see the side-by-side comparison. hydroxy vs hydroxyl
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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