eardrum
/ˈɪəˌdɹʌm/
"eardrum" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“eardrum” is uncommon English (frequency #57,358 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #57,358
- frequency rank, English
- 2,246
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and transmits sound from the air to the malleus.
Corpus desk
Index EN-eardrum · eardrum · English
eardrum · rank #57,358 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #57,358
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,246
- PHOTO-FINISH Durkin
Nearest frequency peer: Durkin (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “eardrum”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- dumbing
dumbing
42,646 corpus weight
- Durkin
Durkin
42,644 corpus weight
- eardrum
eardrum
42,643 corpus weight
- Eastlake
Eastlake
42,642 corpus weight
- EBT
EBT
42,641 corpus weight
- ecotourism
ecotourism
42,640 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “eardrum” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | eardrum |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪəˌdɹʌm/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #57,358 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “eardrum” in English
Rare enough to double-check
eardrum is uncommon English at frequency #57,358 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɪəˌdɹʌm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and transmits sound from the air to the malleus.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for eardrum in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From ear + drum. The correct English form is eardrum, spelled E-A-R-D-R-U-M.
Definition
- 1A thin membrane that separates the outer ear from the middle ear and transmits sound from the air to the malleus.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how eardrum appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Those exposed to the weapon experience sharp ear pain, disorientation and panic, security experts say. Prolonged exposure can cause eardrum ruptures and irreversible hearing damage.
Etymology
From ear + drum.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "eardrum", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).