earwig
/ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/
"earwig" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“earwig” is uncommon English (frequency #87,240 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #87,240
- frequency rank, English
- 18,836
- “E” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera that have elongated bodies, large membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings and a pair of large pincers protruding from the rear of ...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | earwig |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #87,240 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “earwig” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
earwig is uncommon English at frequency #87,240 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for earwig in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insect”), so named from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded. The correct English form is earwig, spelled E-A-R-W-I-G.
Definition
- 1Any of various insects of the order Dermaptera that have elongated bodies, large membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings and a pair of large pincers protruding from the rear of the abdomen.
- 2One who whispers insinuations; a secret counsellor.
- 3A flatterer.
Etymology
From Middle English erwigge, from Old English ēarwicga, from ēare (“ear”) + wicga (“insect”), so named from the appearance of the hindwings, which are unique in their resemblance to human ears when unfolded.
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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Using “earwig”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-A-R-W-I-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪə(ɹ)wɪɡ/ (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.