ciliary

/ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/

//ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi// adj

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

"ciliary" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ciliary” is uncommon English (frequency #74,833 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,833
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of, pertaining to or involving cilia.

Key facts for ciliary
PropertyValue
Headwordciliary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#74,833
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ciliary” 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). ciliary lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

ciliary is uncommon English at frequency #74,833 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for ciliary in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cilium + -ary. The correct English form is ciliary, spelled C-I-L-I-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, pertaining to or involving cilia.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to the eyelashes.
  3. 3
    Of or pertaining to the eyelid.
  4. 4
    Of or pertaining to the ciliary body.

Etymology

From cilium + -ary.

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 "ciliary"?
"ciliary" is spelled C-I-L-I-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/.
What does "ciliary" mean?
As an adjective, "ciliary" means: Of, pertaining to or involving cilia.
How do you pronounce "ciliary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ciliary" is /ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/. 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 "ciliary"?
From cilium + -ary. 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 “ciliary”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-I-L-I-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsɪl.i.ə.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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