Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hectocorn

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: hec-to-corn
IPA

16

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A private startup with a valuation of US$100 billion or greater.

Example Sentences

"If Ant Financial is able to raise it’s $9B funding round at an expected $150B valuation it will become the first Hectocorn (or venture backed private company valued at over $100B) – a massive business by any standards, public or private."
"You’ve probably heard of “unicorns” – technology startups valued at more than $1bn – but 2026 is shaping up to be the year of the “hectocorn”, with several US and European companies potentially floating on stock markets at valuations over $100bn (£75bn)."

Etymology

From hecto- (“hundred”) + -corn, by analogy with unicorn.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: hecto
Suffix: corn

Inflected Forms

hectocorns (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

unicorn decacorn

Questions

What does hectocorn mean?: A private startup with a valuation of US$100 billion or greater.
Where does hectocorn come from?: From hecto- (“hundred”) + -corn, by analogy with unicorn.

How to pronounce hectocorn

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “hectocorn”.
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