hysteresis

noun

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

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

The verdict

“hysteresis” is uncommon English (frequency #62,210 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,210
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A property of a system such that an output value is not a strict function of the corresponding input, but also incorporates some lag, delay, or history dependence, and in particular when the respon...

Corpus desk

Index EN-hysteresis · hysteresis · English

hysteresis · rank #62,210 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,210
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH iliac

Nearest frequency peer: iliac (+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 “hysteresis”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hysteresis
PropertyValue
Headwordhysteresis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters10
Frequency rank#62,210
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hysteresis” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).hysteresisfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “iliac” (#62,212), “impel” (#62,213), “hulks” (#62,206). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hysteresis” is #62,210. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hysteresis is uncommon English at frequency #62,210 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hysteresis, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined by Sir James Alfred Ewing from Ancient Greek ὑστέρησις (hustérēsis, “shortcoming”), from ὑστερέω (husteréō, “I am late, fall short”), from ὕστερος (hústeros, “later”). By surface analysis, hyster- (“higher, outer, latter, next”) + -esis. The correct English form is hysteresis, spelled H-Y-S-T-E-R-E-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A property of a system such that an output value is not a strict function of the corresponding input, but also incorporates some lag, delay, or history dependence, and in particular when the response for a decrease in the input variable is different from the response for an increase. For example, a thermostat with a nominal setpoint of 75° might switch the controlled heat source on when the temperature drops below 74°, and off when it rises above 76°.
  2. 2
    Magnetic friction in dynamos, by which every reversal of magnetism in the iron causes dissipation of energy.

Etymology

Coined by Sir James Alfred Ewing from Ancient Greek ὑστέρησις (hustérēsis, “shortcoming”), from ὑστερέω (husteréō, “I am late, fall short”), from ὕστερος (hústeros, “later”). By surface analysis, hyster- (“higher, outer, latter, next”) + -esis.

This word in other languages

hystérèse(Français)Hysterese(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 "hysteresis"?
"hysteresis" is spelled H-Y-S-T-E-R-E-S-I-S.
What does "hysteresis" mean?
As a noun, "hysteresis" means: A property of a system such that an output value is not a strict function of the corresponding input, but also incorporates some lag, delay, or history dependence, and in particular when the respon...
What is the origin of the word "hysteresis"?
Coined by Sir James Alfred Ewing from Ancient Greek ὑστέρησις (hustérēsis, “shortcoming”), from ὑστερέω (husteréō, “I am late, fall short”), from ὕστερος (hústeros, “later”). By surface analysis, hyster- (“higher, outer, latter, next”) + -esis. 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 "hysteresis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Gnosticism#62,174Eisenstein#62,118distillate#62,102decapitate#62,089

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list