hypnosis

/hɪpˈnoʊsɪs/

//hɪpˈnoʊsɪs// noun

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

"hypnosis" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hypnosis” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,956. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,956
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A trancelike state, artificially induced, in which a person has a heightened suggestibility, and in which suppressed memories may be experienced.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hypnosis · hypnosis · English

hypnosis · rank #20,956 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,956
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Iain

Nearest frequency peer: Iain (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “hypnosis”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “hypnosis” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

hypnosis vs hypnotic
75% similar

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

Key facts for hypnosis
PropertyValue
Headwordhypnosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/hɪpˈnoʊsɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,956
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hypnosis”

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).hypnosislands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Iain” (#20,957), “hoe” (#20,954), “ICU” (#20,958). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hypnosis” is #20,956. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around hypnosis (IPA /hɪpˈnoʊsɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,956 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for hypnosis, with forms such as "hhypnosis", "hpynosis", and "hynposis". 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, "hypnotic", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From modern scholarly Ancient Greek ὕπνωσις (húpnōsis), which formation closes the derivational gap between the ancient words ὑπνόω (hupnóō, “I put to sleep”) and ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós, “sleep-inducing, soporific”). Ultimately traces back to ὕπνος (húpnos, … The correct English form is hypnosis, spelled H-Y-P-N-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A trancelike state, artificially induced, in which a person has a heightened suggestibility, and in which suppressed memories may be experienced.
  2. 2
    Any of various sleep-like conditions.
  3. 3
    The art or skill of hypnotism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. clinical hypnosis
  2. under hypnosis

Etymology

From modern scholarly Ancient Greek ὕπνωσις (húpnōsis), which formation closes the derivational gap between the ancient words ὑπνόω (hupnóō, “I put to sleep”) and ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós, “sleep-inducing, soporific”). Ultimately traces back to ὕπνος (húpnos, “sleep”).

This word in other languages

hipnosis(Español)hypnose(Français)Hypnose(Deutsch)hipnose(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhypnosis
  • hpynosis
  • hynposis
  • hypnnosis
  • hypnoiss
  • hypnosiss
  • hypnossi
  • hypnossis
  • hypnsois
  • hyponsis
  • hyppnosis
  • hyypnosis
  • yhpnosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of hypnosis - 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.

hhypnosis1hpynosis2hynposis2hypnnosis1hypnoiss2hypnosiss1hypnossi2hypnossis1
Edit distance from "hypnosis"

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 "hypnosis"?
"hypnosis" is spelled H-Y-P-N-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /hɪpˈnoʊsɪs/.
What does "hypnosis" mean?
As a noun, "hypnosis" means: A trancelike state, artificially induced, in which a person has a heightened suggestibility, and in which suppressed memories may be experienced.
What words are commonly confused with "hypnosis"?
"hypnosis" is commonly confused with "hypnotic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hypnosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hypnosis" is /hɪpˈnoʊsɪs/. 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 "hypnosis"?
From modern scholarly Ancient Greek ὕπνωσις (húpnōsis), which formation closes the derivational gap between the ancient words ὑπνόω (hupnóō, “I put to sleep”) and ὑπνωτικός (hupnōtikós, “sleep-inducing, soporific”). Ultimately traces back to ὕπνος... 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 "hypnosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hedgehog#20,950grasping#20,939giggling#20,933geologic#20,932

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

jellyfish13 variantsKarnataka13 variantspesticide13 variantsCharlton13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list