Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hygroscopic

/ˌhaɪɡɹəˈskɑpɪk/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.07 in modern English

Syllables: hy-gro-scop-ic
IPA: /ˌhaɪɡɹəˈskɑpɪk/

24

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Readily taking up and retaining water, especially from the atmosphere.

Example Sentences

"The tissues of Ralfsia are dense and the cells are extremely hygroscopic. The plants may become almost crisp dry in the sun, yet remain alive and continue growth with the first splash of the incoming tide."
"All fertilizers tested are drillable at relative humidities below 50 per cent, but no fertilizer remains drillable when exposed to a humidity above its hygroscopic point."

Etymology

From French hygroscopique.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌhaɪɡɹəˈskɑpɪk/
British English: /haɪɡɹəˈskɒpɪk/

Inflected Forms

more hygroscopic (comparative) most hygroscopic (superlative)

Derived Forms

nonhygroscopic

Frequently Paired Words

hygroscopy hygroscopicity hygroscope hygroscopically

Synonyms

hydrophilic

Antonyms

anhygroscopic hydrophobic

Questions

How do you pronounce hygroscopic?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhaɪɡɹəˈskɑpɪk/.
What does hygroscopic mean?: Readily taking up and retaining water, especially from the atmosphere.
Where does hygroscopic come from?: From French hygroscopique.

How to pronounce hygroscopic

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