hyssop

/ˈhɪ.səp/

//ˈhɪ.səp// noun

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

"hyssop" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hyssop” is uncommon English (frequency #98,238 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,238
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several aromatic bushy herbs, of the genus Hyssopus, native to Southern Europe and once used medicinally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hyssop · hyssop · English

hyssop · rank #98,238 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #98,238
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hypochondria

Nearest frequency peer: hypochondria (-2 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 “hyssop”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hyssop
PropertyValue
Headwordhyssop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhɪ.səp/
Letters6
Frequency rank#98,238
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hyssop” 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).hyssopfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “hypochondria” (#98,236), “Iblis” (#98,240), “Huynh” (#98,235). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hyssop” is #98,238. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hyssop is uncommon English at frequency #98,238 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhɪ.səp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for hyssop in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Via Latin hȳsōpum, from Ancient Greek ὕσσωπος (hússōpos), of Semitic origin. The correct English form is hyssop, spelled H-Y-S-S-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several aromatic bushy herbs, of the genus Hyssopus, native to Southern Europe and once used medicinally.
  2. 2
    Any of several similar plants
  3. 3
    Any of several similar plants:
  4. 4
    The sagebrush (Artemisia spp.).
  5. 5
    A plant used used for sprinkling of blood or water in purification rituals and at Passover, Origanum syriacum.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The life of one plant would be affected by another. Rue was definitely hostile to basil, rosemary to hyssop, but coriander, dill and chervil lived on the friendliest of terms[.]

Etymology

Via Latin hȳsōpum, from Ancient Greek ὕσσωπος (hússōpos), of Semitic origin.

This word in other languages

hisopo(Español)hysope(Français)Ysop(Deutsch)

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 "hyssop"?
"hyssop" is spelled H-Y-S-S-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhɪ.səp/.
What does "hyssop" mean?
As a noun, "hyssop" means: Any of several aromatic bushy herbs, of the genus Hyssopus, native to Southern Europe and once used medicinally.
How do you pronounce "hyssop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hyssop" is /ˈhɪ.səp/. 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 "hyssop"?
Via Latin hȳsōpum, from Ancient Greek ὕσσωπος (hússōpos), of Semitic origin. 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 "hyssop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Haslem#98,207hanker#98,200jangly#98,282Jewess#98,289

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list