# benign

> English word · Adjective · IPA /bɪˈnaɪn/ · frequency rank #14,702

## Definitions
1. Kind; gentle; mild.
2. mild and favorable
3. Not harmful to the environment.
4. Not posing any serious threat to health; not particularly aggressive or recurrent.

## Etymology
From Middle English benigne, benygne, from Old French benigne, from Latin benignus (“kind, good”), from bene (“well”) + genus (“origin, kind”). Compare malign.

## Easily confused with
- **Benin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/benign-vs-benin)
- **Benson** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/benign-vs-benson)
- **Benton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/benign-vs-benton)
- **Benigno** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/benign-vs-benigno)
- **bein** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bein-vs-benign)
- **begin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/begin-vs-benign)
- **beige** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/beige-vs-benign)
- **Bendigo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/bendigo-vs-benign)

## Common misspellings (9)
`bbenign`, `beingn`, `bengin`, `beniggn`, `benignn`, `bening`, `bennign`, `bneign`, `ebnign`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/benign