hypochondriac

/ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk/

//ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk// adj

"hypochondriac" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hypochondriac” is uncommon English (frequency #66,736 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#66,736
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Related to, or affected by hypochondria.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hypochondriac · hypochondriac · English

hypochondriac · rank #66,736 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #66,736
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH Hywel

Nearest frequency peer: Hywel (+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 “hypochondriac”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hypochondriac
PropertyValue
Headwordhypochondriac
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk/
Letters13
Frequency rank#66,736
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hypochondriac” 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).hypochondriacfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Hywel” (#66,737), “idler” (#66,739), “ignominy” (#66,741). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hypochondriac” is #66,736. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hypochondriac is uncommon English at frequency #66,736 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for hypochondriac, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French hypocondriaque, from Ancient Greek ὑποχονδριακός (hupokhondriakós, “of the region between the ribs and navel”), from ὑποχόνδριος (hupokhóndrios, “the space between the ribs and the navel”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + χόνδρος (khóndros, “cartilag… The correct English form is hypochondriac, spelled H-Y-P-O-C-H-O-N-D-R-I-A-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Related to, or affected by hypochondria.
  2. 2
    Related to, or located in the hypochondrium.

Etymology

From French hypocondriaque, from Ancient Greek ὑποχονδριακός (hupokhondriakós, “of the region between the ribs and navel”), from ὑποχόνδριος (hupokhóndrios, “the space between the ribs and the navel”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + χόνδρος (khóndros, “cartilage”). See also hypochondrium, hypochondria, and Wikipedia at hypochondriasis § Etymology.

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 "hypochondriac"?
"hypochondriac" is spelled H-Y-P-O-C-H-O-N-D-R-I-A-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk/.
What does "hypochondriac" mean?
As an adjective, "hypochondriac" means: Related to, or affected by hypochondria.
How do you pronounce "hypochondriac"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hypochondriac" is /ˌhaɪpəʊˈkɒndɹiæk/. 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 "hypochondriac"?
From French hypocondriaque, from Ancient Greek ὑποχονδριακός (hupokhondriakós, “of the region between the ribs and navel”), from ὑποχόνδριος (hupokhóndrios, “the space between the ribs and the navel”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + χόνδρος (khóndros,... 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 "hypochondriac", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list