# genius

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒiː.ni.əs/ · frequency rank #4,089

## Definitions
1. Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art, etc.
2. Extraordinary mental capacity.
3. Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
4. The tutelary deity or spirit of a place or person.

## Etymology
From Latin genius (“inborn nature; a tutelary deity of a person or place; wit, brilliance”), from gignō (“to beget, produce”), Old Latin genō, from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵenh₁-. Doublet of genio. See also genus and genie.

## Easily confused with
- **gens** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genius-vs-gens)
- **genus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genius-vs-genus)
- **gents** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genius-vs-gents)
- **genes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genes-vs-genius)
- **genie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genie-vs-genius)
- **genial** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/genial-vs-genius)

## Common misspellings (8)
`egnius`, `geinus`, `genisu`, `geniuss`, `gennius`, `genuis`, `ggenius`, `gneius`

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