illicium

/ɪˈlɪsiəm/

//ɪˈlɪsiəm// noun

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

The verdict

“illicium” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The modified dorsal fin on the head of anglerfish, acting as a lure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-illicium · illicium · English

illicium · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "I" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for illicium
PropertyValue
Headwordillicium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈlɪsiəm/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “illicium” in English

illiciumfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

illicium is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˈlɪsiəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The modified dorsal fin on the head of anglerfish, acting as a lure.".

Zero misspellings are on record for illicium in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Latin illiciō (“entice”) The correct English form is illicium, spelled I-L-L-I-C-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The modified dorsal fin on the head of anglerfish, acting as a lure.

Etymology

Latin illiciō (“entice”)

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "illicium"?
"illicium" is spelled I-L-L-I-C-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈlɪsiəm/.
What does "illicium" mean?
As a noun, "illicium" means: The modified dorsal fin on the head of anglerfish, acting as a lure.
How do you pronounce "illicium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "illicium" is /ɪˈlɪsiəm/. 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 "illicium"?
Latin illiciō (“entice”) 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list