imaginary
/ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/
"imaginary" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“imaginary” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,767 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #9,767
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Existing only in the imagination.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | imaginary |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #9,767 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “imaginary” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for imaginary is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,767 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for imaginary, with forms such as "iamginary", "imagginary", and "imagianry". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ymaginarie, ymagynary, from Latin imāginārius (“relating to images, fancied”), from imāgō, equivalent to imagine + -ary. The mathematical sense derives from René Descartes's use (of the French imaginaire) in 1637, La Geometrie, to ridicu… The correct English form is imaginary, spelled I-M-A-G-I-N-A-R-Y.
Definition
- 1Existing only in the imagination.
- 2Having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of √ (called imaginary unit).
- 3Having no real part; that part of a complex number which is a multiple of √ (called imaginary unit).
Etymology
From Middle English ymaginarie, ymagynary, from Latin imāginārius (“relating to images, fancied”), from imāgō, equivalent to imagine + -ary. The mathematical sense derives from René Descartes's use (of the French imaginaire) in 1637, La Geometrie, to ridicule the notion of regarding non-real roots of polynomials as numbers. Although Descartes' usage was derogatory, the designation stuck even after the concept gained acceptance in the 18th century.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iamginary,imagginary,imagianry,imaginarry,imaginaryy,imaginayr,imaginnary,imaginray,imagniary,imaignary,imgainary,immaginary,miaginary
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of imaginary - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 “imaginary”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-M-A-G-I-N-A-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnəɹi/ (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.