illusory

/ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/

//ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː// adj

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

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

The verdict

“illusory” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,504
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-illusory · illusory · English

illusory · rank #37,504 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,504
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Iga

Nearest frequency peer: Iga (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “illusory”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “illusory” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for illusory
PropertyValue
Headwordillusory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#37,504
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “illusory”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).illusorylands 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 “Iga” (#37,503), “hyping” (#37,501), “iman” (#37,507). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “illusory” is #37,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around illusory (IPA /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #37,504 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for illusory, with forms such as "illsuory", "illuosry", and "illusorry". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French illusorie (modern French illusoire), derived from Latin illūsōrius (“mocking, ironical”). The correct English form is illusory, spelled I-L-L-U-S-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The invalidity of a cognition is the otherwiseness of its object, and is known by a sublating cognition. The illusory cognition of silver knows illusory silver, but does not know its otherwiseness.
  2. Yet for this new womanosphere, the response is not advancing policies like paid family leave or affordable childcare, but to return to an idealized, illusory past where being a wife and mother was viewed as a woman’s sole purpose.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French illusorie (modern French illusoire), derived from Latin illūsōrius (“mocking, ironical”).

This word in other languages

ilusorio(Español)illusoire(Français)illusorisch(Deutsch)ilusório(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • illsuory
  • illuosry
  • illusorry
  • illusoryy
  • illusoyr
  • illusroy
  • illussory
  • ilulsory
  • ilusory
  • lilusory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

illsuory2illuosry2illusorry1illusoryy1illusoyr2illusroy2illussory1ilulsory2
Edit distance from "illusory"

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 "illusory"?
"illusory" is spelled I-L-L-U-S-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/.
What does "illusory" mean?
As an adjective, "illusory" means: Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal.
What are common misspellings of "illusory"?
Common misspellings include "illsuory", "illuosry", "illusorry", "illusoryy", "illusoyr". The correct spelling is "illusory".
How do you pronounce "illusory"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "illusory" is /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/. 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 "illusory"?
Borrowed from Middle French illusorie (modern French illusoire), derived from Latin illūsōrius (“mocking, ironical”). 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 "illusory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Holbrook#37,491interred#37,519Hinckley#37,488Gujarati#37,478

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

hyping10 variantshomeboy10 variantsHaywood10 variantsgracias10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list