English Words: I

17,902 words · Page 29 of 359

if nothing elseadv

At the very least; as a minimum.

if one is a dayphrase

If not older; at least.

if onlyconj

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see if, only.

if only the tsar knewphrase

If only somebody at the top of an abusive hierarchy were aware of the abuses, they would take action to stop them.

if pigs had wingsphrase

Never.

if pigs had wings, they could flyproverb

Alternative form of if pigs had wings, they would fly.

if pigs had wings, they would flyproverb

Expresses skepticism toward a hypothetical argument by another.

if pigs had wings, they'd flyproverb

Alternative form of if pigs had wings, they would fly.

if soprep_phrase

If such is the case.

if thatphrase

or even less, at most

if that's notphrase

Expresses that something is obviously a genuine instance of something else.

if the cap fitsphrase

Ellipsis of if the cap fits, wear it.

if the mountain won't come to Muhammadproverb

If something one wishes to be done cannot be commanded to be done, one must find another way to achieve one's goal.

if the mountain won't come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountainproverb

Alternative form of if the mountain won't come to Muhammad.

if the shoe fits, wear itproverb

If a description fits, it is probably the case; if an insult accurately describes you, you must bear it; if you take offence at an insult that was only implicitly directed at you, you admit the insult is true enough to be recognizable.

if there ever was onephrase

Alternative form of if ever there was one.

if there ever were onephrase

Alternative form of if ever there was one.

if there's grass on the field, play ballproverb

Alternative form of if there's grass on the pitch, play ball.

if we had ham we could have ham and eggs, if we had eggsproverb

Draws attention to the futility of a plan or strategy in the absence of the resources necessary for it to work.

if we had some ham we could have some ham and eggs, if we had some eggsproverb

Alternative form of if we had ham we could have ham and eggs, if we had eggs.

if you ask mephrase

Used to introduce one's opinion, without being asked for it.

if you build it, they will comeproverb

Creating the right circumstances for a goal will result in that goal realizing itself.

if you can't beat them, join themproverb

If one's adversaries are stronger, it is better to join their side.

if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullphrase

When one doesn't have all the facts or have a brilliant explanation, one can often convince people or win an argument by using nonsense.

if you can't do the time, don't do the crimeproverb

One should not carry out an action if one is unwilling to handle the consequences.

if you can't lick them, join themproverb

Alternative form of if you can't beat them, join them.

if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchenproverb

If you cannot handle the pressure, you should not remain in a position where you have to deal with it.

if you don't mind me sayingphrase

Used to introduce one's opinion about something to which offence could be taken

if you know what I meanphrase

Used to allude to something unsaid or hinted at.

if you know, you knowphrase

Used to signify a reference or allusion to something that is only understood by certain groups of people.

if you likeadv

Please, kindly; used in giving a non-concrete instruction.

if you pay peanuts, you get monkeysproverb

Offering a low payment or salary will not attract skilled workers or employees.

if you pleasephrase

Please.

if you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anythingproverb

Statistics can be manipulated to support any conclusion.

if you want peace, prepare for warproverb

Visibly preparing for a fight can deter one's enemies from opening hostilities, by not giving the appearance of an easy target.

if you willadv

Please, kindly; used in giving a non-concrete instruction.

if you're not Dutch, you're not muchphrase

The Dutch culture is vastly superior to all others.

if'ncontraction

Contraction of if and when.

if'tcontraction

Contraction of if + it.

if, as and whenadv

In the event that the thing being discussed comes to pass.

if-by-whiskeyadj

That equivocates on an issue while appearing to affirm both sides, by asserting that each is correct depending on which of two stated alternatives is used as the definition of a key term.

if-thennoun

A proposition or statement about what should or does occur when a certain condition is met.

if-thenismnoun

The doctrine that all mathematical statements are conditional in form, meaning they can be expressed in the format "p implies q", (i.e. if p then q).

ifackinsintj

A mild oath.

IFCname

Initialism of International Finance Corporation.

ifdefnoun

A construct in source code that allows another part of the code to run only if a specified identifier is defined in the program.

ifenconj

Nonstandard form of if.

iffconj

Abbreviation of if and only if.

iffenconj

Nonstandard form of if.

iffilyadv

In an iffy manner.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English alphabetical index for the letter I contains 17,902 headwords drawn from our Wiktionary-derived dictionary table. At 50 entries per page the browse splits into 359 pages, and you are currently viewing page 29. Every row above is a dictionary-backed entry with a canonical slug, and each links through to a full definition page with pronunciation, senses, etymology, and related-word data where available.

On this page 50 of 50 entries carry a part-of-speech tag and 50 carry at least one stored definition. Coverage varies across letters because Wiktionary volunteers build entries at different speeds for different parts of the alphabet, letters with common starting sounds (S, C, T, P) usually have the densest coverage, while less frequent starters (X, Q, Z) tend to have shorter but more specialised lists. PlainSpell surfaces whatever data is present and links back to the source when a definition is not yet recorded.

For readers using this index as a spelling reference, the guarantee is that every form you see on the list is a documented English headword, not a guess, not a derived inflection lacking a lemma row. If a word you expected to find is absent from the "I" list, it usually means the form exists only as an inflection of another lemma (e.g. a past participle stored under the infinitive) or the entry has not yet been imported from Wiktionary. Use the search bar or the misspelling lookup to resolve these cases.