ibu

/ˈaɪ.bjuː/

//ˈaɪ.bjuː// noun

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

"ibu" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ibu” is uncommon English (frequency #57,445 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,445
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - ibuprofen

Corpus desk

Index EN-ibu · ibu · English

ibu · rank #57,445 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,445
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH icicle

Nearest frequency peer: icicle (+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 “ibu”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ibu
PropertyValue
Headwordibu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪ.bjuː/
Letters3
Frequency rank#57,445
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ibu” 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).ibufalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “icicle” (#57,446), “Huy” (#57,443), “Ikeda” (#57,447). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ibu” is #57,445. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ibu is uncommon English at frequency #57,445 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈaɪ.bjuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "ibuprofen".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for ibu, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of ibuprofen. The correct English form is ibu, spelled I-B-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    ibuprofen

Etymology

Clipping of ibuprofen.

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 "ibu"?
"ibu" is spelled I-B-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.bjuː/.
What does "ibu" mean?
As a noun, "ibu" means: ibuprofen
How do you pronounce "ibu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ibu" is /ˈaɪ.bjuː/. 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 "ibu"?
Clipping of ibuprofen. 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 "ibu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Huy#57,443HRD#57,440Kem#57,491kou#57,497

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list