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 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,091
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of ephemeron

Key facts for ephemera
PropertyValue
Headwordephemera
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈfɛməɹə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,091
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ephemera” 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). ephemera lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

ephemera is uncommon English at frequency #51,091 among 18,836 “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

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.

Using “ephemera”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-P-H-E-M-E-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪˈfɛməɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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