hyperthermia

/ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə/

//ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"hyperthermia" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hyperthermia” is uncommon English (frequency #63,693 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,693
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The condition of having an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hyperthermia · hyperthermia · English

hyperthermia · rank #63,693 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,693
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hyperthyroidi…

Nearest frequency peer: hyperthyroidism (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “hyperthermia”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hyperthermia
PropertyValue
Headwordhyperthermia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə/
Letters12
Frequency rank#63,693
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hyperthermia” 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).hyperthermiafalls 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: “hyperthyroidism” (#63,694), “hydrogenation” (#63,691), “IDM” (#63,696). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hyperthermia” is #63,693. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hyperthermia is uncommon English at frequency #63,693 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

hyperthermia doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”) + θέρμη (thérmē, “heat”) + -ία (-ía). By surface analysis, hyper- + -therm + -ia. The correct English form is hyperthermia, spelled H-Y-P-E-R-T-H-E-R-M-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The condition of having an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.
  2. 2
    The therapeutic application of heat to a patient, especially as treatment to cancer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Autopsy results revealed that Braydon was generally malnourished and thin. His cause of death was hyperthermia due to the extreme heat, which would have “caused extreme discomfort and difficulty breathing as he died.”
  2. Hyperthermia, that's just a word. The reality is different. You can't breathe. Sweating doesn't work. You're being roasted, like meat in an oven, and you can feel that.

Etymology

From New Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”) + θέρμη (thérmē, “heat”) + -ία (-ía). By surface analysis, hyper- + -therm + -ia.

This word in other languages

hyperthermie(Français)Hyperthermie(Deutsch)

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 "hyperthermia"?
"hyperthermia" is spelled H-Y-P-E-R-T-H-E-R-M-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə/.
What does "hyperthermia" mean?
As a noun, "hyperthermia" means: The condition of having an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the heat-regulating mechanisms of the body to deal with the heat coming from the environment.
How do you pronounce "hyperthermia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hyperthermia" is /ˌhaɪpə(ɹ)ˈθɜː(ɹ)miə/. 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 "hyperthermia"?
From New Latin, from Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér, “over”) + θέρμη (thérmē, “heat”) + -ία (-ía). By surface analysis, hyper- + -therm + -ia. 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 "hyperthermia", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nymphomaniac#63,850cohesiveness#63,516cantankerous#63,492businesslike#63,485

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list