eminent

/ˈɛmɪnənt/

//ˈɛmɪnənt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“eminent” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,708 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#13,708
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Noteworthy, remarkable, great.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

eminent vs evident
71% similar
eminent vs eminently
78% similar
eminent vs Eminem
57% similar

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

Key facts for eminent
PropertyValue
Headwordeminent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɛmɪnənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,708
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “eminent” 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). eminent lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for eminent is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛmɪnənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,708 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for eminent, with forms such as "eimnent", "emiennt", and "eminennt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "evident", "eminently", "Eminem", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French éminent, from Latin present participle ēminēns, ēminentis, from verb ēmineō (“to project, protrude”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + mineō, related to mons (English mount). Compare with imminent. Unrelated to emanate, which is instead from m… The correct English form is eminent, spelled E-M-I-N-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Noteworthy, remarkable, great.
  2. 2
    Distinguished, important, noteworthy.
  3. 3
    High, lofty.

Etymology

From Middle French éminent, from Latin present participle ēminēns, ēminentis, from verb ēmineō (“to project, protrude”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + mineō, related to mons (English mount). Compare with imminent. Unrelated to emanate, which is instead from mānō (“to flow”).

This word in other languages

prócer(Español)remarquable(Français)ausgesprochen(Deutsch)eminente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eimnent,emiennt,eminennt,eminentt,eminetn,eminnent,eminnet,emminent,emnient,meinent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of eminent - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eimnent2emiennt2eminennt1eminentt1eminetn2eminnent1eminnet2emminent1
Edit distance from "eminent"

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 "eminent"?
"eminent" is spelled E-M-I-N-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛmɪnənt/.
What does "eminent" mean?
As an adjective, "eminent" means: Noteworthy, remarkable, great.
What words are commonly confused with "eminent"?
"eminent" is commonly confused with "evident", "eminently", "Eminem". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eminent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eminent" is /ˈɛmɪnənt/. 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 "eminent"?
From Middle French éminent, from Latin present participle ēminēns, ēminentis, from verb ēmineō (“to project, protrude”), from ex- (“out of, from”) + mineō, related to mons (English mount). Compare with imminent. Unrelated to emanate, which is inst... 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 “eminent”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-I-N-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɛmɪnənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “evident” - see the side-by-side comparison. eminent vs evident
  • 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.

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

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