hyperventilation

/ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən/

//ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən// noun

"hyperventilation" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hyperventilation” is uncommon English (frequency #88,441 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,441
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of breathing faster or deeper than necessary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hyperventilation · hyperventilation · English

hyperventilation · rank #88,441 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #88,441
  • LEN-MEGA 16 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hypatia

Nearest frequency peer: Hypatia (-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 “hyperventilation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hyperventilation
PropertyValue
Headwordhyperventilation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən/
Letters16
Frequency rank#88,441
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hyperventilation” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).hyperventilationfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Hypatia” (#88,440), “hyponatremia” (#88,442), “hydrofoil” (#88,439). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hyperventilation” is #88,441. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hyperventilation is uncommon English at frequency #88,441 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The state of breathing faster or deeper than necessary.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hyperventilation, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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 hyper- + ventilation. The correct English form is hyperventilation, spelled H-Y-P-E-R-V-E-N-T-I-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of breathing faster or deeper than necessary.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. As artificial hyperventilation is advocated in the treatment of raised intracranial pressure, it must be questioned where to set the limit beyond which hypocapnically induced cerebral tissue hypoxia may occur.

Etymology

From hyper- + ventilation.

Antonyms

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 "hyperventilation"?
"hyperventilation" is spelled H-Y-P-E-R-V-E-N-T-I-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən/.
What does "hyperventilation" mean?
As a noun, "hyperventilation" means: The state of breathing faster or deeper than necessary.
How do you pronounce "hyperventilation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hyperventilation" is /ˌhaɪpɚˌvɛntəˈleɪʃən/. 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 "hyperventilation"?
From hyper- + ventilation. 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 "hyperventilation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 16 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list