tesseract

/ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/

//ˈte-sə-ˌrakt// noun

"tesseract" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tesseract” is uncommon English (frequency #61,153 among 27,828 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,153
frequency rank, English
27,828
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The four-dimensional analogue of a cube; a 4D polytope bounded by eight cubes (analogously to the way a cube is bounded by six squares).

Key facts for tesseract
PropertyValue
Headwordtesseract
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#61,153
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “tesseract” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tesseract is uncommon English at frequency #61,153 among 27,828 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for tesseract, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tessara- (“four-”) + Ancient Greek ἀκτίς (aktís, “ray”). The correct English form is tesseract, spelled T-E-S-S-E-R-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The four-dimensional analogue of a cube; a 4D polytope bounded by eight cubes (analogously to the way a cube is bounded by six squares).
  2. 2
    Any of various fictional mechanisms that explain extradimensional, superluminal, or time travel outside the geometry of the physical universe.

Etymology

From tessara- (“four-”) + Ancient Greek ἀκτίς (aktís, “ray”).

Synonyms

four-dimensional hypercube4-cube8-celloctachorontetracube

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 "tesseract"?
"tesseract" is spelled T-E-S-S-E-R-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/.
What does "tesseract" mean?
As a noun, "tesseract" means: The four-dimensional analogue of a cube; a 4D polytope bounded by eight cubes (analogously to the way a cube is bounded by six squares).
How do you pronounce "tesseract"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tesseract" is /ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/. 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 "tesseract"?
From tessara- (“four-”) + Ancient Greek ἀκτίς (aktís, “ray”). 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.

Using “tesseract”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is T-E-S-S-E-R-A-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈte-sə-ˌrakt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list