ignore

/ɪɡˈnɔː/

//ɪɡˈnɔː// verb

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

"ignore" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ignore” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,109 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,109
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ignore vs Igor
50% similar
ignore vs Inoue
50% similar
ignore vs Indore
50% similar

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

Key facts for ignore
PropertyValue
Headwordignore
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɪɡˈnɔː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,109
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ignore” 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). ignore 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 ignore is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪɡˈnɔː/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,109 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ignore, with forms such as "ginore", "iggnore", and "ignnore". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Igor", "Inoue", "Indore", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-der. Latin ignōrōlbor. French ignorer English ignore From French ignorer, from Latin ignōrō (“to have no knowledge of, mistake, take no notice of, ignore”), from ignārus (“not knowing”), from in + gnārus (“knowing”)… The correct English form is ignore, spelled I-G-N-O-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
  2. 2
    To pretend to not notice someone or something.
  3. 3
    Fail to notice.
  4. 4
    Not to know.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-der. Latin ignōrōlbor. French ignorer English ignore From French ignorer, from Latin ignōrō (“to have no knowledge of, mistake, take no notice of, ignore”), from ignārus (“not knowing”), from in + gnārus (“knowing”), from gnōscō, nōscō; see know.

Synonyms

brush offdiscountdisregarddissembledespiseignoremisheedmisregardneglectpasspass bypay no heedput asideset at noughtshrug offsloughtake no notice oftune outunheedunmind

Antonyms

examinepay attentionrecognizewatch

This word in other languages

ignorar(Español)ignorer(Français)ignorieren(Deutsch)ignorar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ginore,iggnore,ignnore,ignoer,ignorre,ignroe,igonre,ingore

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ignore - 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.

ginore2iggnore1ignnore1ignoer2ignorre1ignroe2igonre2ingore2
Edit distance from "ignore"

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 "ignore"?
"ignore" is spelled I-G-N-O-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪɡˈnɔː/.
What does "ignore" mean?
As a verb, "ignore" means: To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
What words are commonly confused with "ignore"?
"ignore" is commonly confused with "Igor", "Inoue", "Indore". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ignore"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ignore" is /ɪɡˈnɔː/. 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 "ignore"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-der. Latin ignōrōlbor. French ignorer English ignore From French ignorer, from Latin ignōrō (“to have no knowledge of, mistake, take no notice of, ignore”), from ignārus (“not knowing”), from in + gnārus (... 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 “ignore”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-G-N-O-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪɡˈnɔː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Igor” - see the side-by-side comparison. ignore vs Igor
  • 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