edify
/ˈɛdɪfaɪ/
"edify" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“edify” is an uncommon English word, ranked #99,211 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #99,211
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To build, construct.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | edify |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈɛdɪfaɪ/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #99,211 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “edify” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for edify is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛdɪfaɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #99,211 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
edify has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”). The correct English form is edify, spelled E-D-I-F-Y.
Definition
- 1To build, construct.
- 2To instruct or improve morally or intellectually.
Etymology
From Old French edifier (“to build, to edify”), from Latin aedificare (“build”).
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 “edify”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-D-I-F-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛdɪfaɪ/ (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
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.