ephemera

/ɪˈfɛməɹə/

//ɪˈfɛməɹə// noun

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

"ephemera" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ephemera” is uncommon English (frequency #51,091 among 2,246 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,091
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of ephemeron

Corpus desk

Index EN-ephemera · ephemera · English

ephemera · rank #51,091 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,091
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entomological

Nearest frequency peer: entomological (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “ephemera”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ephemera” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ephemera
PropertyValue
Headwordephemera
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈfɛməɹə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,091
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ephemera” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “entomological” (#51,090), “Erikson” (#51,092), “Eris” (#51,093). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “ephemera” is #51,091. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ephemera is uncommon English at frequency #51,091 among 2,246 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˈfɛməɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ephemera, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερᾰ (ephḗmeră), neuter plural form of ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros). The correct English form is ephemera, spelled E-P-H-E-M-E-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of ephemeron
  2. 2
    plural of ephemeron
  3. 3
    plural of ephemeron
  4. 4
    plural of ephemeron

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the ephemera of springtime
  2. vintage ephemera

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερᾰ (ephḗmeră), neuter plural form of ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros).

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 "ephemera"?
"ephemera" is spelled E-P-H-E-M-E-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈfɛməɹə/.
What does "ephemera" mean?
As a noun, "ephemera" means: plural of ephemeron
How do you pronounce "ephemera"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ephemera" is /ɪˈfɛməɹə/. 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 "ephemera"?
Borrowed from Ancient Greek ἐφήμερᾰ (ephḗmeră), neuter plural form of ἐφήμερος (ephḗmeros). 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 "ephemera", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Farquhar#51,104fatigues#51,106funerary#51,125decanter#51,055

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list