emo

/ˈiː.moʊ/

//ˈiː.moʊ// noun

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

"emo" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“emo” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #21,199) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#21,199
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emo · emo · English

emo · rank #21,199 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,199
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH embroidery

Nearest frequency peer: embroidery (-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 “emo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “emo” 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).

emo vs ex
33% similar
emo vs et
33% similar
emo vs EU
0% similar

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

Key facts for emo
PropertyValue
Headwordemo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiː.moʊ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#21,199
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “emo”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “embroidery” (#21,198), “Emanuel” (#21,197), “enigma” (#21,201). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emo” is #21,199. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for emo is neighbouring look-alikes ("ex", "et", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈiː.moʊ/. Frequency #21,199 among 2,246 “E” headwords. 8 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

emo doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ex", "et", "EU", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of emotional. Compound emocore first attested in 1986. Word emo first attested in 1988. The correct English form is emo, spelled E-M-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.
  2. 2
    Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.
  3. 3
    Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.
  4. 4
    Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.
  5. 5
    An individual presenting as such.
  6. 6
    An individual presenting as such.
  7. 7
    An individual presenting as such.
  8. 8
    An individual presenting as such.

Etymology

Clipping of emotional. Compound emocore first attested in 1986. Word emo first attested in 1988.

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 "emo"?
"emo" is spelled E-M-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiː.moʊ/.
What does "emo" mean?
As a noun, "emo" means: Any form of guitar-driven alternative rock that is particularly or notably emotional; a broadly encompassing genre of rock music characterized by expressive, often confessional lyrics.
What words are commonly confused with "emo"?
"emo" is commonly confused with "ex", "et", "EU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emo" is /ˈiː.moʊ/. 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 "emo"?
Clipping of emotional. Compound emocore first attested in 1986. Word emo first attested in 1988. 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 "emo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

DMV#21,188CPA#21,173hem#21,236hua#21,241

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list