igloo

/ˈɪɡ.luː/

//ˈɪɡ.luː// noun

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

"igloo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“igloo” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,857. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,857
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-igloo · igloo · English

igloo · rank #44,857 · 6 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,857
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH ides

Nearest frequency peer: ides (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “igloo”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “igloo” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

igloo vs Igor
40% similar
igloo vs Igbo
40% similar

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

Key facts for igloo
PropertyValue
Headwordigloo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪɡ.luː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#44,857
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “igloo”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).igloolands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “ides” (#44,856), “impregnable” (#44,859), “hyphen” (#44,854). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “igloo” is #44,857. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around igloo (IPA /ˈɪɡ.luː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,857 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for igloo, with forms such as "giloo", "iggloo", and "iglloo". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Igor", "Igbo", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”), from Proto-Inuit *ǝɣlu, from Proto-Eskimo *ǝŋlu. The correct English form is igloo, spelled I-G-L-O-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow.
  2. 2
    A cavity, or excavation, made in the snow by a seal, over its breathing hole in the sea ice.
  3. 3
    A reinforced bunker for the storage of nuclear weapons.
  4. 4
    A kind of airfreight cargo container.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. General James Walsh signalled Strategic Air Command that the B-47 tore apart the igloo and knocked about 3 mark sixes.
  2. Since most major airlines have interline agreements, if your cargo is in an igloo or container, it can be moved as is […]

Etymology

From Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”), from Proto-Inuit *ǝɣlu, from Proto-Eskimo *ǝŋlu.

This word in other languages

iglú(Español)igloo(Français)Iglu(Deutsch)iglu(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • giloo
  • iggloo
  • iglloo
  • iglo
  • igolo
  • ilgoo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of igloo - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

giloo2iggloo1iglloo1iglo1igolo2ilgoo2
Edit distance from "igloo"

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 "igloo"?
"igloo" is spelled I-G-L-O-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪɡ.luː/.
What does "igloo" mean?
As a noun, "igloo" means: A dome-shaped Inuit shelter, constructed of blocks cut from snow.
What words are commonly confused with "igloo"?
"igloo" is commonly confused with "Igor", "Igbo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "igloo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "igloo" is /ˈɪɡ.luː/. 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 "igloo"?
From Inuktitut ᐃᒡᓗ (iclo, “house, building (of any kind)”), from Proto-Inuit *ǝɣlu, from Proto-Eskimo *ǝŋlu. 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 "igloo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hynes#44,853jiffy#44,873Govan#44,816Lhasa#44,899

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

glib6 variantsLivy6 variantsmarg6 variantsmossy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list