Ebola

/ɪˈbəʊlə/

//ɪˈbəʊlə// name

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

The verdict

“Ebola” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,586. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,586
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Ebola vs Ella
60% similar
Ebola vs ebook
40% similar
Ebola vs ebony
40% similar

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

Key facts for Ebola
PropertyValue
HeadwordEbola
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ɪˈbəʊlə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,586
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Ebola” 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). Ebola lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around Ebola (IPA /ɪˈbəʊlə/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #12,586 among 18,836 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Ebola, with forms such as "beola", "ebbola", and "ebloa". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Ella", "ebook", "ebony", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is Ebola, spelled E-B-O-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: beola,ebbola,ebloa,eboal,ebolla,eobla

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Ebola - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

beola2ebbola1ebloa2eboal2ebolla1eobla2
Edit distance from "Ebola"

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 "Ebola"?
"Ebola" is spelled E-B-O-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈbəʊlə/.
What does "Ebola" mean?
As a proper noun, "Ebola" means: A river in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What words are commonly confused with "Ebola"?
"Ebola" is commonly confused with "Ella", "ebook", "ebony". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Ebola"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ebola" is /ɪˈbəʊlə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Ebola" come from?
"Ebola" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Ebola”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-B-O-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪˈbəʊlə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Ella” - see the side-by-side comparison. Ebola vs Ella
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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