eidolon

/aɪˈdəʊlən/

//aɪˈdəʊlən// noun

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

"eidolon" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eidolon” is uncommon English (frequency #77,635 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,635
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An image or representation of an idea; a representation of an ideal form; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or of some aspect of reality.

Key facts for eidolon
PropertyValue
Headwordeidolon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/aɪˈdəʊlən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#77,635
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “eidolon” 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). eidolon lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

eidolon is uncommon English at frequency #77,635 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /aɪˈdəʊlən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for eidolon, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “figure, representation”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “sight”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”). Doublet of aidoru, idol, and idolum and related to idea. The correct English form is eidolon, spelled E-I-D-O-L-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An image or representation of an idea; a representation of an ideal form; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or of some aspect of reality.
  2. 2
    A phantom; a ghost or an elusive entity.
  3. 3
    An unsubstantial image; a spectre; a phantom.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “figure, representation”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “sight”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”). Doublet of aidoru, idol, and idolum and related to idea.

This word in other languages

fantasma(Español)éidolon(Français)ídolo(Português)

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 "eidolon"?
"eidolon" is spelled E-I-D-O-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /aɪˈdəʊlən/.
What does "eidolon" mean?
As a noun, "eidolon" means: An image or representation of an idea; a representation of an ideal form; an apparition of some actual or imaginary entity, or of some aspect of reality.
How do you pronounce "eidolon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eidolon" is /aɪˈdəʊlən/. 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 "eidolon"?
From Ancient Greek εἴδωλον (eídōlon, “figure, representation”), from εἶδος (eîdos, “sight”), from εἴδω (eídō, “I see”). Doublet of aidoru, idol, and idolum and related to idea. 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.

Using “eidolon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-I-D-O-L-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /aɪˈdəʊlən/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list