invidious

/ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/

//ɪnˈvɪdi.əs// adj

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

"invidious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“invidious” is uncommon English (frequency #85,376 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,376
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing ill will, envy, or offense.

Corpus desk

Index EN-invidious · invidious · English

invidious · rank #85,376 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,376
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH insidiously

Nearest frequency peer: insidiously (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “invidious”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “invidious” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for invidious
PropertyValue
Headwordinvidious
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,376
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “invidious” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).invidiousfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “insidiously” (#85,374), “ineligibility” (#85,372), “indecently” (#85,370). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “invidious” is #85,376. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

invidious is uncommon English at frequency #85,376 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

invidious doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin invidiōsus, from invidia (“envy, ill will”), from in- (“upon”) + videō (“I see”); the meaning developed from “look back at” to “look askance at” to “envy.” Doublet of envious, from Old French. The correct English form is invidious, spelled I-N-V-I-D-I-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing ill will, envy, or offense.
  2. 2
    Offensively or unfairly discriminating.
  3. 3
    Envious, jealous.
  4. 4
    Detestable, hateful, or odious. (Often used in cases of perceived unfairness, or when facing a difficult situation or choice — especially in the phrase invidious position.)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To think highly of ourselves in comparison with others, to assume by our own authority that precedence which none is willing to grant, must be always invidious and offensive; […]
  2. ‘I didn’t make use of the word in any invidious sense, ma’am,’ replied Mr. Benjamin Allen, growing somewhat uneasy on his own account.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin invidiōsus, from invidia (“envy, ill will”), from in- (“upon”) + videō (“I see”); the meaning developed from “look back at” to “look askance at” to “envy.” Doublet of envious, from Old French.

This word in other languages

ínvido(Español)

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 "invidious"?
"invidious" is spelled I-N-V-I-D-I-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/.
What does "invidious" mean?
As an adjective, "invidious" means: Causing ill will, envy, or offense.
How do you pronounce "invidious"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "invidious" is /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/. 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 "invidious"?
Borrowed from Latin invidiōsus, from invidia (“envy, ill will”), from in- (“upon”) + videō (“I see”); the meaning developed from “look back at” to “look askance at” to “envy.” Doublet of envious, from Old French. 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 "invidious", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Jagannath#85,384Hermitian#85,341greenhorn#85,305licencing#85,453

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list