Ella

/ˈɛl.ə/

//ˈɛl.ə// name

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

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

The verdict

“Ella” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #12,414) as a proper noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#12,414
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female given name.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ella · Ella · English

Ella · rank #12,414 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,414
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Edmund

Nearest frequency peer: Edmund (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “Ella”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “Ella” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Ella vs era
25% similar
Ella vs EPA
25% similar
Ella vs EVA
25% similar

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

Key facts for Ella
PropertyValue
HeadwordElla
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɛl.ə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,414
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “Ella”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Ellalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Edmund” (#12,413), “Emerson” (#12,415), “edible” (#12,412). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “Ella” is #12,414. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for Ella is neighbouring look-alikes ("era", "EPA", …), not just typos; it is aproper noun pronounced /ˈɛl.ə/. Frequency #12,414 among 2,246 “E” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for Ella, with forms such as "ela", "elal", and "lela". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "era", "EPA", "EVA", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: A 19th-century shortening of Eleanor or Ellen, later also used for any name ending in -ella, such as Gabriella or Daniella. Similar abbreviations have been formed independently in many European languages, for any name containing the syllable -el-, e.g. Elis… The correct English form is Ella, spelled E-L-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name.
  2. 2
    A diminutive of the female given names Eleanor, Ellen, Gabriella, or Daniella.
  3. 3
    A placename:
  4. 4
    A placename:
  5. 5
    A placename:
  6. 6
    A placename:
  7. 7
    A placename:

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Ella appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. She was named Ella Lorena, Ella for her grandmother Ellen, and Lorena because it was the most fashionable name of the day for girls […]

Etymology

A 19th-century shortening of Eleanor or Ellen, later also used for any name ending in -ella, such as Gabriella or Daniella. Similar abbreviations have been formed independently in many European languages, for any name containing the syllable -el-, e.g. Elisabeth.

This word in other languages

Ella(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ela
  • elal
  • lela

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Ella - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ela1elal2lela2
Edit distance from "Ella"

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 "Ella"?
"Ella" is spelled E-L-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛl.ə/.
What does "Ella" mean?
As a proper noun, "Ella" means: A female given name.
What words are commonly confused with "Ella"?
"Ella" is commonly confused with "era", "EPA", "EVA". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Ella"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ella" is /ˈɛl.ə/. 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 "Ella"?
A 19th-century shortening of Eleanor or Ellen, later also used for any name ending in -ella, such as Gabriella or Daniella. Similar abbreviations have been formed independently in many European languages, for any name containing the syllable -el-,... 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 "Ella", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fiat#12,420ding#12,402dads#12,399gill#12,429

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list