evil

/ˈiː.vəl/

//ˈiː.vəl// adj

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

"evil" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“evil” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,859 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,859
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Intending to harm; malevolent.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

evil vs evo
50% similar
evil vs exit
50% similar
evil vs exile
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for evil
PropertyValue
Headwordevil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈiː.vəl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,859
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “evil” 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). evil lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for evil is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈiː.vəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,859 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for evil, with forms such as "eivl", "evill", and "evli". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "evo", "exit", "exile", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel, from Old English yfel, from Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂up(h₁)élos, a deverbal derivative of *h₂wep(h₁)-, *h₂wop(h₁)- (“treat badly”). See -le for the suppos… The correct English form is evil, spelled E-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intending to harm; malevolent.
  2. 2
    Morally corrupt.
  3. 3
    Unpleasant, foul (of odor, taste, mood, weather, etc.).
  4. 4
    Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous.
  5. 5
    Having harmful qualities; not good; worthless or deleterious.
  6. 6
    Undesirable; harmful; bad practice.

Etymology

From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel, from Old English yfel, from Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂up(h₁)élos, a deverbal derivative of *h₂wep(h₁)-, *h₂wop(h₁)- (“treat badly”). See -le for the supposed suffix. Alternatively from *upélos (“evil”, literally “going over or beyond (acceptable limits)”), from Proto-Indo-European *upo, *h₃ewp- (“down, up, over”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch euvel (“evil”), German übel (“bad, evil”), German Low German övel (“evil”), Luxembourgish iwwel (“queasy, nauseous; bad”), Gothic 𐌿𐌱𐌹𐌻𐍃 (ubils, “bad, evil”). Compare Old Irish fel (“bad, evil”), from Proto-Celtic *uɸelos, and Hittite 𒄷𒉿𒀊𒍣 (huwapp-ⁱ, “to mistreat, harass”), 𒄷𒉿𒀊𒉺𒀸 (huwappa-, “evil, badness”).

Synonyms

nefariousmaliciousmalevolentwickedabandonedarrantbadbad applebad seedbalefulbanefulbaseblack-hearteddarkdeleteriousdemonicdepraveddespicabledetrimentaldevilishdiabolicalevilevil-mindedfacinorousflagitiousharmfulheinousill-intentionedill-naturedimmoralincorrigibleiniquitousiniquousinjuriousknavishmaleficmaleficentmalignmalignantnidderingnideringnidingnithingno-goodpeccaminousperniciousreprehensiblereprobatesatanicscathfulsinfulsinistersordidsullenungodlyunholyviciousvilevillainouswrong

Antonyms

goodangelicbenigngood-mindedjustmoralrighteouswell-intentioned

This word in other languages

malo(Español)mauvais(Français)böse(Deutsch)mau(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eivl,evill,evli,evvil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of evil - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eivl2evill1evli2evvil1
Edit distance from "evil"

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 "evil"?
"evil" is spelled E-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiː.vəl/.
What does "evil" mean?
As an adjective, "evil" means: Intending to harm; malevolent.
What words are commonly confused with "evil"?
"evil" is commonly confused with "evo", "exit", "exile". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "evil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "evil" is /ˈiː.vəl/. 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 "evil"?
From Middle English yvel, evel, ivel, uvel, from Old English yfel, from Proto-West Germanic *ubil, from Proto-Germanic *ubilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂up(h₁)élos, a deverbal derivative of *h₂wep(h₁)-, *h₂wop(h₁)- (“treat badly”). See -le for ... 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 “evil”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-V-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈiː.vəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “evo” - see the side-by-side comparison. evil vs evo
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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