hippopotame

\i.po.po.tam\

/\i.po.po.tam\/ noun

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

The verdict

“hippopotame” has 14 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #34,116. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,116
frequency rank, French
109,908
“H” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Très gros mammifère quadrupède amphibie herbivore d’Afrique, qui vit le jour dans l’eau douce (fleuves et rivières) et broute la nuit.

Key facts for hippopotame
PropertyValue
Headwordhippopotame
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\i.po.po.tam\
Letters11
Frequency rank#34,116
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hippopotame” sits in French 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). hippopotame lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around hippopotame (IPA \i.po.po.tam\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,116 among 109,908 “H” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for hippopotame, with forms such as "hhippopotame", "hipopotame", and "hipoppotame". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is hippopotame, spelled H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Très gros mammifère quadrupède amphibie herbivore d’Afrique, qui vit le jour dans l’eau douce (fleuves et rivières) et broute la nuit.
  2. 2
    Très gros mammifère quadrupède amphibie herbivore d’Afrique, qui vit le jour dans l’eau douce (fleuves et rivières) et broute la nuit.
  3. 3
    Terme superlatif dont on affuble des grosses personnes, des gros animaux.

Synonyms

bœuf marincheval marin

This word in other languages

hippo(English)hipopótamo(Español)Flusspferd(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: hhippopotame,hipopotame,hipoppotame,hippooptame,hippopoatme,hippopotaem,hippopotamme,hippopotmae,hippopottame,hippoppotame,hippoptoame,hipppootame,hpipopotame,ihppopotame

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

hhippopotame1hipopotame1hipoppotame2hippooptame2hippopoatme2hippopotaem2hippopotamme1hippopotmae2
Edit distance from "hippopotame"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hippopotame"?
"hippopotame" is spelled H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is \i.po.po.tam\.
What does "hippopotame" mean?
As a noun, "hippopotame" means: Très gros mammifère quadrupède amphibie herbivore d’Afrique, qui vit le jour dans l’eau douce (fleuves et rivières) et broute la nuit.
What are common misspellings of "hippopotame"?
Common misspellings include "hhippopotame", "hipopotame", "hipoppotame", "hippooptame", "hippopoatme". The correct spelling is "hippopotame".
How do you pronounce "hippopotame"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hippopotame" is \i.po.po.tam\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hippopotame" come from?
"hippopotame" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “hippopotame”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is H-I-P-P-O-P-O-T-A-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \i.po.po.tam\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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