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embody

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "embody", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "embody" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "embody" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

embody is aEnglishverb. It means: To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify. Pronounced /ɪmˈbɒdi/. Often confused with ebony and embed.

Key facts for embody
PropertyValue
Headwordembody
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪmˈbɒdi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,257
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of embody in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for embody is 6 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪmˈbɒdi/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,257 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for embody, with forms such as "ebmody", "embbody", and "embdoy". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "ebony", "embed", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin em- + body. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is embody, spelled E-M-B-O-D-Y, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify.
  2. 2
    To represent in some other form, such as a code of laws.
  3. 3
    To comprise or include as part of a cohesive whole; to be made up of.
  4. 4
    To unite in a body or mass.

Etymology

From Latin em- + body.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ebmody,embbody,embdoy,emboddy,embodyy,emboyd,emmbody,emobdy,mebody

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for embody

Misspelling Variants of "embody"

ebmody6embbody7embdoy6emboddy7embodyy7emboyd6emmbody7emobdy6
Misspelling Variants of "embody"

Frequency rank: #23,257 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "embody"?
"embody" is spelled E-M-B-O-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪmˈbɒdi/.
What does "embody" mean?
As a verb, "embody" means: To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify.
What words are commonly confused with "embody"?
"embody" is commonly confused with "ebony", "embed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "embody"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "embody" is /ɪmˈbɒdi/. 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 "embody"?
From Latin em- + body. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter E in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.