Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

heterotopia

/ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.50 in modern English

Syllables: het-ero-topia
IPA: /ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Normal tissue (or an organ) present at an abnormal part of the body

Countable; Uncountable

noun

The occurrence of an organism in a number of different habitats

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A space which is alien to what is normal within the society, variably presenting a utopian vision in physical form or serving to segregate subversive elements from the wider society.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Michel Foucault gave the museum and the mental hospital as two different examples of heterotopias."
"For Foucault, heterotopias are not imagined places but real places that almost delete themselves from public consciousness. They are null sites in awareness, yet inevitable and vital to the construction of space."

Etymology

From hetero- + -topia.

Word Breakdown

Prefix: hetero
Suffix: topia

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/
British English: /ˌhɛt(ə)ɹəˈtəʊpiə/

Usage

Inflected Forms

heterotopias (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

heterotopic heterotopology utopia topia

Synonyms

allotopia ectopia ectopy dystopia malposition

Rhymes With

ethiopia utopia dystopia myopia presbyopia eutopia autopia ectopia infotopia tropia euryopia hypermetropia

Questions

How do you pronounce heterotopia?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/.
What does heterotopia mean?: Normal tissue (or an organ) present at an abnormal part of the body
Where does heterotopia come from?: From hetero- + -topia.

How to pronounce heterotopia

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “heterotopia”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌhɛtəɹəˈtoʊpiə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “heterotopia” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.