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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #5,504) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#5,504
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-icon · icon · English

icon · rank #5,504 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,504
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH hosting

Nearest frequency peer: hosting (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “icon”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “icon” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for icon is neighbouring look-alikes ("in", "io", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈaɪ.kɒn/. Frequency #5,504 among 2,140 “I” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how icon appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Last week the Archdiocese sent emmissaries to investigate the icon and decided that the tears were not a hoax, Father Koufos said.
  2. That man is an icon in the business; he personifies loyalty and good business sense.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "icon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flew#5,497Neil#5,525ours#5,527aunt#5,478

What to do next

You've looked up "icon". Here's where to go from here.

  • "icon" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "in". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,504 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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