hypostasis

/haɪˈpɒstəsɪs/

//haɪˈpɒstəsɪs// noun

"hypostasis" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hypostasis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sedimentary deposit, especially in urine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hypostasis · hypostasis · English

hypostasis · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for hypostasis
PropertyValue
Headwordhypostasis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/haɪˈpɒstəsɪs/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hypostasis” in English

hypostasisfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hypostasis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /haɪˈpɒstəsɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hypostasis, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ecclesiastical Latin hypostasis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόστασις (hupóstasis, “sediment, foundation; substance, existence, essence”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) + στάσις (stásis, “standing”). Morphologically hypo- + -stasis. The correct English form is hypostasis, spelled H-Y-P-O-S-T-A-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sedimentary deposit, especially in urine.
  2. 2
    The essential person, specifically the single person of Christ (as distinguished from his two ‘natures’, human and divine), or of the three ‘persons’ of the Trinity (sharing a single ‘essence’).
  3. 3
    The underlying reality or substance of something.
  4. 4
    The underlying reality or substance of something.
  5. 5
    The underlying reality or substance of something.
  6. 6
    The effect of one gene preventing another from expressing.
  7. 7
    Postmortem lividity; livor mortis; suggillation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Phi[sitian]. I view’d your vrine, and the Hipoſtates ^([sic – meaning Hipoſtaſis]) / Thick and obſcure doth make your danger great, […]
  2. Thus the kidneys also have their particular excrement which is contained in it and is the hypostasis (deposit).

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin hypostasis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόστασις (hupóstasis, “sediment, foundation; substance, existence, essence”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) + στάσις (stásis, “standing”). Morphologically hypo- + -stasis.

Synonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hypostasis"?
"hypostasis" is spelled H-Y-P-O-S-T-A-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /haɪˈpɒstəsɪs/.
What does "hypostasis" mean?
As a noun, "hypostasis" means: A sedimentary deposit, especially in urine.
How do you pronounce "hypostasis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hypostasis" is /haɪˈpɒstəsɪs/. 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 "hypostasis"?
From Ecclesiastical Latin hypostasis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόστασις (hupóstasis, “sediment, foundation; substance, existence, essence”), from ὑπό (hupó, “under”) + στάσις (stásis, “standing”). Morphologically hypo- + -stasis. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list