idem
/ˈɪ.dɛm/
"idem" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“idem” is uncommon English (frequency #75,062 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as a pronoun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #75,062
- frequency rank, English
- 17,902
- “I” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The same.
Corpus desk
Index EN-idem · idem · English
idem · rank #75,062 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #75,062
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 17,902
- PHOTO-FINISH iftar
Nearest frequency peer: iftar (+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 “idem”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- idem
idem
24,939 corpus weight
- iftar
iftar
24,938 corpus weight
- illegitimacy
illegitimacy
24,936 corpus weight
- impracticab…
impracticable
24,934 corpus weight
- inaccessibi…
inaccessibility
24,933 corpus weight
- inadvisable
inadvisable
24,932 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “idem” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | idem |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Pronoun |
| IPA | /ˈɪ.dɛm/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #75,062 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “idem” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
idem is uncommon English at frequency #75,062 among 17,902 “I” headwords, classed as apronoun, transcribed /ˈɪ.dɛm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The same.".
idem has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English idem, borrowed from Latin idem (“the same”). The correct English form is idem, spelled I-D-E-M.
Definition
- 1The same.
Etymology
From Middle English idem, borrowed from Latin idem (“the same”).
This word in other languages
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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "idem", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
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.