emu

/ˈiːmjuː/

//ˈiːmjuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“emu” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #27,135) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#27,135
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

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

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

Key facts for emu
PropertyValue
Headwordemu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːmjuː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#27,135
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “emu” 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). emu lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for emu is neighbouring look-alikes ("ex", "et", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈiːmjuː/. Frequency #27,135 among 18,836 “E” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for emu in our 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, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Portuguese ema (“(originally) cassowary; giant rhea; (now) ostrich”). The correct English form is emu, spelled E-M-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.
  2. 2
    A cassowary (genus Casuarius).

Etymology

Probably from Portuguese ema (“(originally) cassowary; giant rhea; (now) ostrich”).

This word in other languages

emú(Español)émeu(Français)Emu(Deutsch)emu(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 "emu"?
"emu" is spelled E-M-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːmjuː/.
What does "emu" mean?
As a noun, "emu" means: A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.
What words are commonly confused with "emu"?
"emu" 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 "emu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emu" is /ˈiːmjuː/. 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 "emu"?
Probably from Portuguese ema (“(originally) cassowary; giant rhea; (now) ostrich”). 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 “emu”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-M-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈiːmjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ex” - see the side-by-side comparison. emu vs ex
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Words at a similar English frequency

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