anima

/ˈænɪmə/

//ˈænɪmə// noun

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

"anima" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anima” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #38,725 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#38,725
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

anima vs Asia
40% similar
anima vs anna
60% similar
anima vs aria
60% similar

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

Key facts for anima
PropertyValue
Headwordanima
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈænɪmə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#38,725
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “anima” sits in English 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). anima 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 English entry for anima is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈænɪmə/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,725 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 anima, with forms such as "ainma", "aniam", and "animma". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Asia", "anna", "aria", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin anima (“a current of air, wind, air, breath, the vital principle, life, soul”), sometimes equivalent to animus (“mind”), both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe, blow”); see animus. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄνεμος (ánemos, … The correct English form is anima, spelled A-N-I-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
  2. 2
    The inner self (not the external persona) of a person that is in touch with the unconscious as opposed to the persona.
  3. 3
    The unconscious feminine aspect of a person.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin anima (“a current of air, wind, air, breath, the vital principle, life, soul”), sometimes equivalent to animus (“mind”), both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe, blow”); see animus. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄνεμος (ánemos, “wind”), Old English anda (“anger, envy, zeal”). More at onde.

This word in other languages

Anima(Deutsch)anima(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ainma,aniam,animma,anmia,annima,naima

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ainma2aniam2animma1anmia2annima1naima2
Edit distance from "anima"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anima"?
"anima" is spelled A-N-I-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈænɪmə/.
What does "anima" mean?
As a noun, "anima" means: The soul or animating principle of a living thing, especially as contrasted with the animus.
What words are commonly confused with "anima"?
"anima" is commonly confused with "Asia", "anna", "aria". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anima"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anima" is /ˈænɪmə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anima"?
Borrowed from Latin anima (“a current of air, wind, air, breath, the vital principle, life, soul”), sometimes equivalent to animus (“mind”), both from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (“to breathe, blow”); see animus. Cognate with Ancient Greek ἄνεμος... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “anima”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-N-I-M-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈænɪmə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Asia” - see the side-by-side comparison. anima vs Asia
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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