ilium
/ˈɪlɪəm/
"ilium" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ilium” is an uncommon English word, ranked #72,415 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #72,415
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The upper and widest of the three bones that make up each side of the hipbone.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ilium |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɪlɪəm/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #72,415 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ilium” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ilium is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪlɪəm/. Corpus data places it at rank #72,415 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ilium, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin īlium (“lower abdomen”), from īle (“flank”). The correct English form is ilium, spelled I-L-I-U-M.
Definition
- 1The upper and widest of the three bones that make up each side of the hipbone.
- 2The ileum, part of the small intestine (in modern usage, misspelling of ileum).
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin īlium (“lower abdomen”), from īle (“flank”).
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
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Using “ilium”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-L-I-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɪlɪəm/ (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.