infamy

/ˈɪnfəmi/

//ˈɪnfəmi// noun

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

"infamy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“infamy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,540
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state of being infamous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-infamy · infamy · English

infamy · rank #34,540 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,540
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH indignant

Nearest frequency peer: indignant (-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 “infamy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “infamy” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

infamy vs inlay
67% similar
infamy vs infant
67% similar
infamy vs infancy
71% similar

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

Key facts for infamy
PropertyValue
Headwordinfamy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɪnfəmi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,540
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “infamy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).infamylands 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 “indignant” (#34,539), “infertile” (#34,541), “inconsequential” (#34,538). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “infamy” is #34,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around infamy (IPA /ˈɪnfəmi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,540 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for infamy, with forms such as "ifnamy", "inafmy", and "infammy". 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. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "inlay", "infant", "infancy", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From late Middle English infamie, from Old French infamie, from Latin īnfāmia (“infamy”), from īnfāmis (“infamous”), from in- (“not”) + fāma (“fame, renown”). Displaced native Old English unhlīsa (literally “bad fame”). The correct English form is infamy, spelled I-N-F-A-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state of being infamous.
  2. 2
    A reprehensible occurrence or situation.
  3. 3
    A stigma attaching to a person's character that disqualifies them from being a witness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ... but the cars of chaste women have either coverings thrown over them, or white sheets hung over; for instance, on the cars of the female part of the family of the deceased Nawabs Khanduran and Muzaffar Khan, there used generally to be fastened thick dirty white cloths, and in like manner also on their palanquins—although one brother was the chief treas…
  2. Yesterday, December seventh, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.

Etymology

From late Middle English infamie, from Old French infamie, from Latin īnfāmia (“infamy”), from īnfāmis (“infamous”), from in- (“not”) + fāma (“fame, renown”). Displaced native Old English unhlīsa (literally “bad fame”).

This word in other languages

infamia(Español)infamie(Français)Schande(Deutsch)infâmia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ifnamy
  • inafmy
  • infammy
  • infamyy
  • infaym
  • inffamy
  • infmay
  • innfamy
  • nifamy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of infamy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ifnamy2inafmy2infammy1infamyy1infaym2inffamy1infmay2innfamy1
Edit distance from "infamy"

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 "infamy"?
"infamy" is spelled I-N-F-A-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪnfəmi/.
What does "infamy" mean?
As a noun, "infamy" means: The state of being infamous.
What words are commonly confused with "infamy"?
"infamy" is commonly confused with "inlay", "infant", "infancy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "infamy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infamy" is /ˈɪnfəmi/. 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 "infamy"?
From late Middle English infamie, from Old French infamie, from Latin īnfāmia (“infamy”), from īnfāmis (“infamous”), from in- (“not”) + fāma (“fame, renown”). Displaced native Old English unhlīsa (literally “bad fame”). 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 "infamy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jacoby#34,551Hatton#34,515lookup#34,576geezer#34,499

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Hokkaido9 variantsJulianne9 variantsMarlow9 variantsGarrick9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list