invidious
/ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/
"invidious" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“invidious” is an uncommon English word, ranked #85,376 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #85,376
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Causing ill will, envy, or offense.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | invidious |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #85,376 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “invidious” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for invidious is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/. Corpus data places it at rank #85,376 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Causing ill will, envy, or offense.
- 2Offensively or unfairly discriminating.
- 3Envious, jealous.
- 4Detestable, hateful, or odious. (Often used in cases of perceived unfairness, or when facing a difficult situation or choice — especially in the phrase invidious position.)
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
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 “invidious”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-N-V-I-D-I-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪnˈvɪdi.əs/ (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.