English Word Reference Free

enema

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

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "enema", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "enema" 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 "enema" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

enema is aEnglishnoun. It means: An injection of fluid into the large intestine by way of the rectum, usually for medical purposes. Pronounced /ˈɛn.ə.mə/. Often confused with enemy and enigma.

Key facts for enema
PropertyValue
Headwordenema
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛn.ə.mə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,871
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for enema is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛn.ə.mə/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,871 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 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for enema, with forms such as "eenma", "eneam", and "enemma". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "enemy", "enigma", "ema", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Late Latin enema, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔνεμα (énema, “injection”), from ἐνίημι (eníēmi, “to send in, inject”). 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 enema, spelled E-N-E-M-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    An injection of fluid into the large intestine by way of the rectum, usually for medical purposes.
  2. 2
    The fluid so injected.
  3. 3
    A device for administering such an injection.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Late Latin enema, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔνεμα (énema, “injection”), from ἐνίημι (eníēmi, “to send in, inject”).

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eenma,eneam,enemma,enmea,ennema,neema

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for enema

Misspelling Variants of "enema"

eenma5eneam5enemma6enmea5ennema6neema5
Misspelling Variants of "enema"

Frequency rank: #34,871 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "enema"?
"enema" is spelled E-N-E-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛn.ə.mə/.
What does "enema" mean?
As a noun, "enema" means: An injection of fluid into the large intestine by way of the rectum, usually for medical purposes.
What words are commonly confused with "enema"?
"enema" is commonly confused with "enemy", "enigma", "ema". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "enema"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "enema" is /ˈɛn.ə.mə/. 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 "enema"?
Learned borrowing from Late Latin enema, itself borrowed from Ancient Greek ἔνεμα (énema, “injection”), from ἐνίημι (eníēmi, “to send in, inject”). 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:

Explore PlainSpell

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.