ilk

/ɪlk/

//ɪlk// adj

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

"ilk" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ilk” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #32,443) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#32,443
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very; same.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ilk · ilk · English

ilk · rank #32,443 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,443
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Iliad

Nearest frequency peer: Iliad (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “ilk”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “ilk” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

ilk vs in
33% similar
ilk vs is
33% similar
ilk vs it
33% similar

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

Key facts for ilk
PropertyValue
Headwordilk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪlk/
Letters3
Frequency rank#32,443
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “ilk”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ilklands 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 “Iliad” (#32,442), “IIT” (#32,441), “impartiality” (#32,445). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ilk” is #32,443. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for ilk is neighbouring look-alikes ("in", "is", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /ɪlk/. Frequency #32,443 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Gloss: "Very; same.".

Zero misspellings are on record for ilk in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "in", "is", "it", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase of that ilk to families: the… The correct English form is ilk, spelled I-L-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Very; same.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. By semblaunt, was that ilke image

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase of that ilk to families: the word thus came to mean family.

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 "ilk"?
"ilk" is spelled I-L-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪlk/.
What does "ilk" mean?
As an adjective, "ilk" means: Very; same.
What words are commonly confused with "ilk"?
"ilk" is commonly confused with "in", "is", "it". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ilk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ilk" is /ɪlk/. 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 "ilk"?
Inherited from Middle English ilke, from Old English ilca, conjectured as from Proto-Germanic *ilīkaz, a compound of *iz and *-līkaz from the noun *līką (“body”). The sense of “type”, “kind” is from the application of the phrase of that ilk to fam... 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 "ilk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

IIT#32,441IED#32,440jer#32,458LCS#32,477

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list