image

/ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/

//ˈɪm.ɪdʒ// noun

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

"image" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“image” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,225 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,225
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

image vs IMG
0% similar
image vs IME
0% similar
image vs imam
60% similar

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

Key facts for image
PropertyValue
Headwordimage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,225
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “image” 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). image 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 image is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,225 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for image, with forms such as "iamge", "imaeg", and "imagge". 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 16 confusable-pair relationships, "IMG", "IME", "imam", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ymage, borrowed from Old French image, from Latin imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym-; the same PIE root is the source of imitari (“to copy, imitate”); see imitate. Doublet of imago. The correct English form is image, spelled I-M-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.
  2. 2
    A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.
  3. 3
    A mental picture of something not real or not present.
  4. 4
    A statue or idol.
  5. 5
    A file that contains all information needed to produce a live working copy. (See disk image and image copy.)
  6. 6
    A characteristic of a person, group or company etc., style, manner of dress, how one is or wishes to be perceived by others.
  7. 7
    The value a function maps some argument to.
  8. 8
    The subset of the codomain of a function comprising those elements that are the image of some element of its domain.
  9. 9
    A form of interference: a weaker "copy" of a strong signal that occurs at a different frequency.
  10. 10
    Show; appearance; cast.

Etymology

From Middle English ymage, borrowed from Old French image, from Latin imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym-; the same PIE root is the source of imitari (“to copy, imitate”); see imitate. Doublet of imago.

Synonyms

pictureideavaluerange

This word in other languages

imagen(Español)image(Français)Bild(Deutsch)imagem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iamge,imaeg,imagge,imgae,immage,miage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

iamge2imaeg2imagge1imgae2immage1miage2
Edit distance from "image"

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 "image"?
"image" is spelled I-M-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/.
What does "image" mean?
As a noun, "image" means: A visual or other representation of the external form of something in art.
What words are commonly confused with "image"?
"image" is commonly confused with "IMG", "IME", "imam". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "image"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "image" is /ˈɪm.ɪdʒ/. 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 "image"?
From Middle English ymage, borrowed from Old French image, from Latin imāgō (“a copy, likeness, image”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eym-; the same PIE root is the source of imitari (“to copy, imitate”); see imitate. Doublet of imago. 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 “image”

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

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