eager

/iɡə/

//iɡə// adj

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

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

The verdict

“eager” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,781. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,781
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eager · eager · English

eager · rank #6,781 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,781
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH dimensional

Nearest frequency peer: dimensional (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “eager”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “eager” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

eager vs ear
60% similar
eager vs ever
60% similar
eager vs edge
60% similar

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

Key facts for eager
PropertyValue
Headwordeager
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/iɡə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,781
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “eager”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).eagerlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “dimensional” (#6,780), “elect” (#6,782), “differ” (#6,779). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eager” is #6,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around eager (IPA /iɡə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #6,781 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for eager, with forms such as "aeger", "eaegr", and "eagerr". 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, "ear", "ever", "edge", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical Latin ācer Late Latin ācrus Old French aigrebor. Middle English egre English eager Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from … The correct English form is eager, spelled E-A-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
  2. 2
    Not employing lazy evaluation; calculating results immediately, rather than deferring calculation until they are required.
  3. 3
    Brittle; inflexible; not ductile.
  4. 4
    Sharp; sour; acid.
  5. 5
    Sharp; keen; bitter; severe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how eager appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Stacey is very eager to go cycling this weekend.
  2. The hounds were eager in the chase.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical Latin ācer Late Latin ācrus Old French aigrebor. Middle English egre English eager Inherited from Middle English egre, eger, from Old French aigre, egre (modern French aigre), from Latin ācrus, variant of ācer (“sharp, keen”); see acid, acerb, etc. Compare vinegar, alegar.

Synonyms

burstingkeensolicitousraringalacritousathirstfain

Antonyms

aversedisinclinedreluctantunwilling

This word in other languages

impaciente(Español)désireux(Français)begierig(Deutsch)ávido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aeger
  • eaegr
  • eagerr
  • eagger
  • eagre
  • egaer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

aeger2eaegr2eagerr1eagger1eagre2egaer2
Edit distance from "eager"

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 "eager"?
"eager" is spelled E-A-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /iɡə/.
What does "eager" mean?
As an adjective, "eager" means: Desirous; keen to do or obtain something.
What words are commonly confused with "eager"?
"eager" is commonly confused with "ear", "ever", "edge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eager"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eager" is /iɡə/. 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 "eager"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱrós Proto-Italic *akris Classical Latin ācer Late Latin ācrus Old French aigrebor. Middle English egre English eager Inherited from Middle English egre, e... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "eager", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

elect#6,782cloth#6,772cease#6,769buyer#6,766

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

fork6 variantshype6 variantsBennett6 variantsjunk6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list