# Iago

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /iˈɑːɡəʊ/ · frequency rank #43,699

## Definitions
1. A male given name.
2. The villain of William Shakespeare's tragedy Othello; any similar villain or deceitful underling.

## Etymology
From Welsh, Spanish, Portuguese, and Galician Iago, from Latin Iācōbus (“James”), from Ancient Greek Ἰάκωβος (Iákōbos), from Hebrew יַעֲקֹב (ya‘ăqṓḇ, “Jacob”, literally “he will/shall heel”), from עָקֵב (‘āqḗḇ, “heel”) and the Biblical account of the patriarch Jacob's birth in Genesis 25:26. Doublet of Yago, Jago, James, Jacob, Jacques, and Santiago.

## Easily confused with
- **IG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ig)
- **io** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-io)
- **iso** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-iso)
- **IMO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-imo)
- **IPO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ipo)
- **ICO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ico)
- **IMG** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-img)
- **IAS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ias)
- **Iga** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-iga)
- **Ivo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ivo)
- **igg** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-igg)
- **IGE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-ige)
- **into** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-into)
- **info** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-info)
- **Indo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-indo)
- **Igor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-igor)
- **iggy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-iggy)
- **Iain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-iain)
- **IMHO** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-imho)
- **Igbo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iago-vs-igbo)

## Common misspellings (4)
`aigo`, `iaggo`, `iaog`, `igao`

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