ignominy

/ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/

//ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni// noun

"ignominy" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ignominy” is an uncommon English word, ranked #66,741 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#66,741
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation.

Key facts for ignominy
PropertyValue
Headwordignominy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/
Letters8
Frequency rank#66,741
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ignominy” 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). ignominy 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 ignominy is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/. Corpus data places it at rank #66,741 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation.".

ignominy has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French ignominie, from Latin ignōminia, from ig- (“not”) + nomen (“name”) (prefix assimilated form of in-). The correct English form is ignominy, spelled I-G-N-O-M-I-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation.

Etymology

Borrowed from French ignominie, from Latin ignōminia, from ig- (“not”) + nomen (“name”) (prefix assimilated form of in-).

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ignominy"?
"ignominy" is spelled I-G-N-O-M-I-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/.
What does "ignominy" mean?
As a noun, "ignominy" means: Great dishonor, shame, or humiliation.
How do you pronounce "ignominy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ignominy" is /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/. 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 "ignominy"?
Borrowed from French ignominie, from Latin ignōminia, from ig- (“not”) + nomen (“name”) (prefix assimilated form of in-). 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 “ignominy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-G-N-O-M-I-N-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɪɡnəˌmɪni/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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