# enigma

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɪˈnɪɡmə/ · frequency rank #21,201

## Definitions
1. Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
2. A riddle, or a difficult problem.
3. Riddles and puzzles, collectively.
4. Mysteriousness; obscurity; a lack of clarity.
5. A style of literature characterized by obscurity and hints of transcendental meaning.
6. Alternative letter-case form of Enigma.
7. A protein with three LIM domains (a conserved cysteine- and histidine-rich structure of two adjacent zinc fingers) at the C terminus that regulates protein phosphorylation.
8. The Talaud kingfisher, Todiramphus enigma.
9. Any of species of Oedaleonotus enigma of grasshoppers.
10. Any of species of Heliothis enigma of rare moths.

## Etymology
From Latin aenigma (“riddle”), being derived itself from the Ancient Greek verbal noun αἴνιγμα (aínigma, “dark saying, speaking in riddles”).

## Easily confused with
- **enema** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/enema-vs-enigma)

## Common misspellings (8)
`eingma`, `engima`, `enigam`, `eniggma`, `enigmma`, `enimga`, `ennigma`, `neigma`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/enigma