tetrahydrocannabinol

/ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl/

//ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl// noun

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

"tetrahydrocannabinol" is a 20-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“tetrahydrocannabinol” is uncommon English (frequency #94,331 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,331
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The psychoactive substance present in cannabis, a hydrogenated derivative of cannabinol.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tetrahydrocannabinol · tetrahydrocannabinol · English

tetrahydrocannabinol · rank #94,331 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,331
  • LEN-MEGA 20 letters
  • VOW-8 8 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH territoriality

Nearest frequency peer: territoriality (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “tetrahydrocannabinol”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for tetrahydrocannabinol
PropertyValue
Headwordtetrahydrocannabinol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl/
Letters20
Frequency rank#94,331
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “tetrahydrocannabinol” 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).tetrahydrocannabinolfalls 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: “territoriality” (#94,330), “tetralogy” (#94,332), “TFSA” (#94,333). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tetrahydrocannabinol” is #94,331. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

tetrahydrocannabinol is uncommon English at frequency #94,331 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The psychoactive substance present in cannabis, a hydrogenated derivative of cannabinol.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for tetrahydrocannabinol, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From tetrahydro + cannabinol. The correct English form is tetrahydrocannabinol, spelled T-E-T-R-A-H-Y-D-R-O-C-A-N-N-A-B-I-N-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The psychoactive substance present in cannabis, a hydrogenated derivative of cannabinol.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. While the agency hasn’t proposed changing its 2023 6.7 million-gram quota for marijuana for 2024, it is now calling for the manufacturing of 900,610 grams of delta-9 THC and 790,010 grams of all other tetrahydrocannabinol. That represents another increase after DEA already moved this week to nearly double the 2023 quota for delta-9 THC to 628,460 grams an…

Etymology

From tetrahydro + cannabinol.

Synonyms

THC

This word in other languages

tetrahidrocannabinol(Español)tétrahydrocannabinol(Français)Tetrahydrocannabinol(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 "tetrahydrocannabinol"?
"tetrahydrocannabinol" is spelled T-E-T-R-A-H-Y-D-R-O-C-A-N-N-A-B-I-N-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl/.
What does "tetrahydrocannabinol" mean?
As a noun, "tetrahydrocannabinol" means: The psychoactive substance present in cannabis, a hydrogenated derivative of cannabinol.
How do you pronounce "tetrahydrocannabinol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tetrahydrocannabinol" is /ˌtɛ.tɹəˌhʌɪ.dɹə(ʊ)ˈkæn.əb.ɪn.ɒl/. 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 "tetrahydrocannabinol"?
From tetrahydro + cannabinol. 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 "tetrahydrocannabinol", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 20 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hypercholesterolemia#96,072acetylcholinesterase#96,713phosphatidylinositol#99,701counterrevolutionary#86,169

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list