ignoramus

/ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs/

//ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs// noun

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

"ignoramus" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ignoramus” is uncommon English (frequency #64,435 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,435
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ignoramus · ignoramus · English

ignoramus · rank #64,435 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,435
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imaginatively

Nearest frequency peer: imaginatively (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “ignoramus”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ignoramus” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ignoramus
PropertyValue
Headwordignoramus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#64,435
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ignoramus” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ignoramusfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “imaginatively” (#64,436), “hypothalamic” (#64,433), “imago” (#64,437). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ignoramus” is #64,435. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ignoramus is uncommon English at frequency #64,435 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for ignoramus in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: After the ignorant lawyer Ignoramus, the titular character in the 1615 play Ignoramus by the English playwright George Ruggle; from Latin ignōrāmus (“we do not know, we are unacquainted with, we are ignorant of”), the first-person plural present active indi… The correct English form is ignoramus, spelled I-G-N-O-R-A-M-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The problem is that visual ignoramuses, such as this writer, can't think of that many pictures and end up drawing question marks where a frog should be.
  2. “The cost of appearing with this bloviating ignoramus is obvious, it seems to me,” he said on “This Week,” the ABC News program.

Etymology

After the ignorant lawyer Ignoramus, the titular character in the 1615 play Ignoramus by the English playwright George Ruggle; from Latin ignōrāmus (“we do not know, we are unacquainted with, we are ignorant of”), the first-person plural present active indicative of ignōrō (“I do not know, I am unacquainted with, I am ignorant of”).

Synonyms

dunceignoramusjayknow-nothinglack-latinmumpsimusnescientnumskullrubewild-ass

Antonyms

geniusscholar

This word in other languages

ignaro(Español)ignare(Français)Ignorant(Deutsch)

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 "ignoramus"?
"ignoramus" is spelled I-G-N-O-R-A-M-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs/.
What does "ignoramus" mean?
As a noun, "ignoramus" means: A totally ignorant person—unknowledgeable, uneducated, or uninformed; a fool.
How do you pronounce "ignoramus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ignoramus" is /ˌɪɡ.nəˈɹeɪ.məs/. 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 "ignoramus"?
After the ignorant lawyer Ignoramus, the titular character in the 1615 play Ignoramus by the English playwright George Ruggle; from Latin ignōrāmus (“we do not know, we are unacquainted with, we are ignorant of”), the first-person plural present a... 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 "ignoramus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hutcheson#64,431heterodox#64,422intricacy#64,448hemolytic#64,419

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list