ebon

/ˈɛbən/

//ˈɛbən// noun

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

"ebon" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ebon” is uncommon English (frequency #73,146 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,146
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ebony; an ebony tree.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ebon · ebon · English

ebon · rank #73,146 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,146
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH egomaniac

Nearest frequency peer: egomaniac (+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 “ebon”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ebon” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ebon
PropertyValue
Headwordebon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛbən/
Letters4
Frequency rank#73,146
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ebon” in English

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).ebonfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “egomaniac” (#73,147), “Dykstra” (#73,142), “elbowing” (#73,151). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ebon” is #73,146. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ebon is uncommon English at frequency #73,146 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɛbən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Ebony; an ebony tree.".

ebon has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French eban (modern ébène), from Latin ebenus, from Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos, “ebony tree”). The correct English form is ebon, spelled E-B-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ebony; an ebony tree.

Etymology

From Old French eban (modern ébène), from Latin ebenus, from Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos, “ebony tree”).

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 "ebon"?
"ebon" is spelled E-B-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛbən/.
What does "ebon" mean?
As a noun, "ebon" means: Ebony; an ebony tree.
How do you pronounce "ebon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ebon" is /ˈɛbən/. 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 "ebon"?
From Old French eban (modern ébène), from Latin ebenus, from Ancient Greek ἔβενος (ébenos, “ebony tree”). 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 "ebon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

curr#73,097crus#73,095crip#73,092gird#73,224

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list