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
2,246
“E” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large flightless bird native to Australia, Dromaius novaehollandiae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emu · emu · English

emu · rank #27,135 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,135
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH emir

Nearest frequency peer: emir (-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 “emu”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “emu” 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).

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)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “emu”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).emulands 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 “emir” (#27,134), “Eritrea” (#27,136), “eastbound” (#27,133). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emu” is #27,135. 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 2,246 “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).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [page 59] The Emu, though not ſo as large as the oſtrich, is only ſecond to it in magnitude. It is by much the largeſt bird in the New Continent; and is generally found to be ſix feet high, meaſuring from its head to the ground. […] [page 60] [T]he emu runs with ſuch a ſwiftneſs, that the fleeteſt dogs are thrown out in the purſuit.
  2. From New Holland the emeu, / With his better moiety, / Has paid a visit to the Zo- / ological Society.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "emu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

CST#27,110CRM#27,105Guo#27,165HRC#27,174

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list