indigenous

/ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/

//ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs// adj

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

"indigenous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“indigenous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,506. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,506
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Native to a land, especially before colonization.

Corpus desk

Index EN-indigenous · indigenous · English

indigenous · rank #5,506 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,506
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH imposed

Nearest frequency peer: imposed (-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 neighbourhood for “indigenous”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “indigenous” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for indigenous
PropertyValue
Headwordindigenous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,506
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “indigenous” 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).indigenouslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “imposed” (#5,505), “infinite” (#5,507), “icon” (#5,504). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around indigenous (IPA /ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,506 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for indigenous, with forms such as "idnigenous", "inddigenous", and "indgienous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus (“native, born in a country”), from indi- (indu-), an old derivative of in (“in”), gen- the root of gignō (“give birth to”), and English -ous. Compare indigene, Ancient Greek ἐνδογενής (endogenḗs, “born in the house”), and… The correct English form is indigenous, spelled I-N-D-I-G-E-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Native to a land, especially before colonization.
  2. 2
    Native to a land, especially before colonization.
  3. 3
    Innate, inborn.
  4. 4
    Original to a geographical area.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Aboriginals were indigenous to Victoria before the World War.
  2. Not only the Indian, but many indigenous insects, birds, and quadrupeds, welcomed the apple-tree to these shores.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus (“native, born in a country”), from indi- (indu-), an old derivative of in (“in”), gen- the root of gignō (“give birth to”), and English -ous. Compare indigene, Ancient Greek ἐνδογενής (endogenḗs, “born in the house”), and the separately formed piecewise doublet endogenous. Unrelated to Indian.

Synonyms

aboriginalautochthonouslocalconnaturalnatural

This word in other languages

indígena(Español)indigène(Français)indigen(Deutsch)indígena(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • idnigenous
  • inddigenous
  • indgienous
  • indiegnous
  • indigennous
  • indigenosu
  • indigenouss
  • indigenuos
  • indigeonus
  • indiggenous
  • indigneous
  • inidgenous
  • inndigenous
  • nidigenous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of indigenous - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

idnigenous2inddigenous1indgienous2indiegnous2indigennous1indigenosu2indigenouss1indigenuos2
Edit distance from "indigenous"

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 "indigenous"?
"indigenous" is spelled I-N-D-I-G-E-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/.
What does "indigenous" mean?
As an adjective, "indigenous" means: Native to a land, especially before colonization.
What are common misspellings of "indigenous"?
Common misspellings include "idnigenous", "inddigenous", "indgienous", "indiegnous", "indigennous". The correct spelling is "indigenous".
How do you pronounce "indigenous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "indigenous" is /ɪnˈdɪdʒɪnəs/. 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 "indigenous"?
Borrowed from Late Latin indigenus (“native, born in a country”), from indi- (indu-), an old derivative of in (“in”), gen- the root of gignō (“give birth to”), and English -ous. Compare indigene, Ancient Greek ἐνδογενής (endogenḗs, “born in the ho... 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 "indigenous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

connecting#5,486politician#5,533presidency#5,536approached#5,475

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

gentleman14 variantsacceptance14 variantstestimony14 variantsstrictly14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "indigenous". Here's where to go from here.

  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,506 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "I" letter cohort. I–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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