ingenue
/ˈɑnʒənu/
"ingenue" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ingenue” is an uncommon English word, ranked #81,430 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #81,430
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An innocent, unsophisticated, naïve, wholesome girl or young woman.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ingenue |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɑnʒənu/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #81,430 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ingenue” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ingenue is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɑnʒənu/. Corpus data places it at rank #81,430 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
ingenue doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French ingénue, the feminine form of ingénu (“guileless”), originally from the Latin ingenuus (“ingenuous”). The correct English form is ingenue, spelled I-N-G-E-N-U-E.
Definition
- 1An innocent, unsophisticated, naïve, wholesome girl or young woman.
- 2A dramatic role of such a woman; an actress playing such a role.
- 3Misspelling of ingenu.
Etymology
Borrowed from French ingénue, the feminine form of ingénu (“guileless”), originally from the Latin ingenuus (“ingenuous”).
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 “ingenue”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-G-E-N-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɑnʒənu/ (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.