icon

/ˈaɪ.kɒn/

//ˈaɪ.kɒn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“icon” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,504 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,504
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

icon vs in
50% similar
icon vs io
50% similar
icon vs ion
75% similar

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

Key facts for icon
PropertyValue
Headwordicon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪ.kɒn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,504
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “icon” 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). icon 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 icon is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈaɪ.kɒn/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,504 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 icon, with forms such as "iccon", "icno", and "iconn". 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, "in", "io", "ion", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin īcōn, from Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikṓn, “likeness, image, portrait”). Eastern Orthodox Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded in 1982. The correct English form is icon, spelled I-C-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion.
  2. 2
    A type of religious painting portraying a saint or scene from Scripture, often done on wooden panels.
  3. 3
    A person or thing that is the best example of a certain profession or some doing.
  4. 4
    A small picture that represents something.
  5. 5
    A small picture that represents something.
  6. 6
    A word, character, or sign whose form reflects and is determined by the referent; onomatopoeic words are necessarily all icons.

Etymology

From Latin īcōn, from Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikṓn, “likeness, image, portrait”). Eastern Orthodox Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded in 1982.

This word in other languages

icono(Español)icône(Français)Bild(Deutsch)ícone(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iccon,icno,iconn,iocn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of icon - 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.

iccon1icno2iconn1iocn2
Edit distance from "icon"

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 "icon"?
"icon" is spelled I-C-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.kɒn/.
What does "icon" mean?
As a noun, "icon" means: An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion.
What words are commonly confused with "icon"?
"icon" is commonly confused with "in", "io", "ion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "icon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "icon" is /ˈaɪ.kɒn/. 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 "icon"?
From Latin īcōn, from Ancient Greek εἰκών (eikṓn, “likeness, image, portrait”). Eastern Orthodox Church sense is attested from 1833. Computing sense first recorded in 1982. 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 “icon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-C-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈaɪ.kɒn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “in” - see the side-by-side comparison. icon vs in
  • 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