hypothesis

/haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/

//haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“hypothesis” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,678. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,678
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem and that can be tested by further observation, investigation, or experimentation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hypothesis · hypothesis · English

hypothesis · rank #8,678 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,678
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hiking

Nearest frequency peer: hiking (-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 “hypothesis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “hypothesis” 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).

hypothesis vs hypotheses
90% similar

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

Key facts for hypothesis
PropertyValue
Headwordhypothesis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#8,678
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “hypothesis”

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).hypothesislands 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 “hiking” (#8,677), “illegally” (#8,679), “heather” (#8,676). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hypothesis” is #8,678. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around hypothesis (IPA /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,678 among 2,646 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for hypothesis, with forms such as "hhypothesis", "hpyothesis", and "hyopthesis". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "hypotheses", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1596, from Middle French hypothese, from Late Latin hypothesis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis, “base, basis of an argument, supposition”, literally “a placing under”), itself from ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “I set before, suggest”), fr… The correct English form is hypothesis, spelled H-Y-P-O-T-H-E-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem and that can be tested by further observation, investigation, or experimentation.
  2. 2
    An assumption taken to be true for the purpose of argument or investigation.
  3. 3
    The antecedent of a conditional statement.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This hypothesis goes by many names, including group resistence, the threshold effect, and the gender paradox. Because the hypothesis holds such wide appeal, it is worth revisiting the logic behind it. The hypothesis is built on the factual observation that fewer females than males act antisocially.
  2. Far too many of us have been taught in school that a scientist, in the course of trying to figure something out, will first come up with a "hypothesis" (a guess or surmise—not necessarily even an "educated" guess). ... [But t]he word "hypothesis" should be used, in science, exclusively for a reasoned, sensible, knowledge-informed explanation for why some…

Etymology

Recorded since 1596, from Middle French hypothese, from Late Latin hypothesis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis, “base, basis of an argument, supposition”, literally “a placing under”), itself from ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “I set before, suggest”), from ὑπό (hupó, “below”) + τίθημι (títhēmi, “I put, place”). Compare hypothec.

This word in other languages

hipótesis(Español)hypothèse(Français)Hypothese(Deutsch)hipótese(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • hhypothesis
  • hpyothesis
  • hyopthesis
  • hypohtesis
  • hypotehsis
  • hypotheiss
  • hypothesiss
  • hypothessi
  • hypothessis
  • hypothhesis
  • hypothseis
  • hypotthesis
  • hyppothesis
  • hyptohesis
  • hyypothesis
  • yhpothesis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhypothesis1hpyothesis2hyopthesis2hypohtesis2hypotehsis2hypotheiss2hypothesiss1hypothessi2
Edit distance from "hypothesis"

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 "hypothesis"?
"hypothesis" is spelled H-Y-P-O-T-H-E-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/.
What does "hypothesis" mean?
As a noun, "hypothesis" means: A tentative conjecture explaining an observation, phenomenon or scientific problem and that can be tested by further observation, investigation, or experimentation.
What words are commonly confused with "hypothesis"?
"hypothesis" is commonly confused with "hypotheses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "hypothesis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hypothesis" is /haɪˈpɒθɪsɪs/. 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 "hypothesis"?
Recorded since 1596, from Middle French hypothese, from Late Latin hypothesis, from Ancient Greek ὑπόθεσις (hupóthesis, “base, basis of an argument, supposition”, literally “a placing under”), itself from ὑποτίθημι (hupotíthēmi, “I set before, sug... 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 "hypothesis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

foreigners#8,668optimistic#8,701systematic#8,732behavioral#8,758

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

promotional16 variantstransmitted16 variantscongressman16 variantsdistracted16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list