ingrown

/ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/

//ɪnˈɡɹəʊn// adj

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

"ingrown" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ingrown” is uncommon English (frequency #55,516 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,516
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - That has grown inwards or abnormally towards (a part of the body)

Key facts for ingrown
PropertyValue
Headwordingrown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#55,516
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ingrown” 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). ingrown lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ingrown is uncommon English at frequency #55,516 among 17,902 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "That has grown inwards or abnormally towards (a part of the body)".

ingrown has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From in- + grown. The correct English form is ingrown, spelled I-N-G-R-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    That has grown inwards or abnormally towards (a part of the body)

Etymology

From in- + grown.

This word in other languages

encarnado(Español)incarné(Français)eingewachsen(Deutsch)encravado(Português)

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 "ingrown"?
"ingrown" is spelled I-N-G-R-O-W-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/.
What does "ingrown" mean?
As an adjective, "ingrown" means: That has grown inwards or abnormally towards (a part of the body)
How do you pronounce "ingrown"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ingrown" is /ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/. 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 "ingrown"?
From in- + grown. 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 “ingrown”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-G-R-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈɡɹəʊn/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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