hypo-

\i.po\

/\i.po\/ prefix

The verdict

“hypo-” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prefix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Préfixe servant à former un grand nombre de mots auxquels il donne une idée d’infériorité physique ou morale. Les termes ainsi composés sont nombreux, surtout dans le langage des sciences.

Corpus desk

Index FR-hypo · hypo- · French

hypo- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "H" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for hypo-
PropertyValue
Headwordhypo-
LanguageFrench
Part of speechPrefix
IPA\i.po\
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « hypo- » en français

hypo-reste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hypo- is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix, transcribed \i.po\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Préfixe servant à former un grand nombre de mots auxquels il donne une idée d’infériorité physique ou morale. Les termes ainsi composés sont nombreux, surtout dans le langage des sciences.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for hypo-, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is hypo-, spelled H-Y-P-O--.

Definition

  1. 1
    Préfixe servant à former un grand nombre de mots auxquels il donne une idée d’infériorité physique ou morale. Les termes ainsi composés sont nombreux, surtout dans le langage des sciences.

Synonyms

Antonyms

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "hypo-"?
"hypo-" is spelled H-Y-P-O--. The IPA pronunciation is \i.po\.
What does "hypo-" mean?
As a prefix, "hypo-" means: Préfixe servant à former un grand nombre de mots auxquels il donne une idée d’infériorité physique ou morale. Les termes ainsi composés sont nombreux, surtout dans le langage des sciences.
How do you pronounce "hypo-"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hypo-" is \i.po\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "hypo-" come from?
"hypo-" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list