imago

noun

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

The verdict

“imago” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #35,248 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,248
frequency rank, German
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - künstlerische Nachbildung von jemandem oder etwas; Bild, Bildnis, Abbild

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

imago vs IMO
0% similar
imago vs Ingo
40% similar
imago vs Imam
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for imago
PropertyValue
Headwordimago
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
Letters5
Frequency rank#35,248
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “imago” sits in German 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). imago lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for imago is 5 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #35,248 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for imago, with forms such as "iamgo", "imaggo", and "imaog". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "IMO", "Ingo", "Imam", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is imago, spelled I-M-A-G-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    künstlerische Nachbildung von jemandem oder etwas; Bild, Bildnis, Abbild
  2. 2
    aus Wachs gefertigte Totenmaske eines Ahnen, die im Atrium aufbewahrt wurde und beim Leichenzug getragen wurde; Imago
  3. 3
    Bild, das von einer Oberfläche reflektiert wird; Spiegelbild
  4. 4
    Bild, das von Objekten ausgesendet wird und vom Auge erfasst wird; Eidolon
  5. 5
    Laut, der reflekiert wird; Echo
  6. 6
    Bild von etwas nicht real Existierendem; Scheinbild, Schattenbild, Schatten, Trugbild, Phantom
  7. 7
    Repräsentierung im Geiste; gestiges Bild, Vorstellung
  8. 8
    mentales Bild
  9. 9
    Repräsentierung in Worten; Wortbild, Beschreibung, Fabel
  10. 10
    Vergleich, Gleichnis
  11. 11
    Person, die einer anderen im Aussehen gleicht; Abbild, Ebenbild
  12. 12
    Beispiel, Verkörperung

Synonyms

imagines maiorum

This word in other languages

picture(English)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iamgo,imaggo,imaog,imgao,immago,miago

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iamgo2imaggo1imaog2imgao2immago1miago2
Edit distance from "imago"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "imago"?
"imago" is spelled I-M-A-G-O.
What does "imago" mean?
As a noun, "imago" means: künstlerische Nachbildung von jemandem oder etwas; Bild, Bildnis, Abbild
What words are commonly confused with "imago"?
"imago" is commonly confused with "IMO", "Ingo", "Imam". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "imago" come from?
"imago" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “imago”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is I-M-A-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “IMO” - see the side-by-side comparison. imago vs IMO
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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