idiom
/ˈɪdiəm/
"idiom" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“idiom” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,088 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #30,088
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | idiom |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪdiəm/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #30,088 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “idiom” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for idiom is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪdiəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,088 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for idiom, with forms such as "diiom", "iddiom", and "idimo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "IOM", "idol", "idiot", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's o… The correct English form is idiom, spelled I-D-I-O-M.
Definition
- 1A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
- 2A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people.
- 3A language or language variety; specifically, a restricted dialect used in a given historical period, context etc.
- 4An established phrasal expression whose meaning may not be deducible from the literal meanings of its component words.
- 5An artistic style (for example, in art, architecture, or music); an instance of such a style.
Etymology
From Middle French idiome, and its source, Late Latin idioma, from Ancient Greek ἰδίωμα (idíōma, “a peculiarity, property, a peculiar phraseology, idiom”), from ἰδιοῦσθαι (idioûsthai, “to make one's own, appropriate to oneself”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one's own, pertaining to oneself, private, personal, peculiar, separate”). By surface analysis, idi- + -om.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: diiom,iddiom,idimo,idiomm,idoim,iidom
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of idiom - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "idiom"?
What does "idiom" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "idiom"?
How do you pronounce "idiom"?
What is the origin of the word "idiom"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “idiom”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-D-I-O-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪdiəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “IOM” - see the side-by-side comparison. idiom vs IOM
- 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.