# Irish

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /ˈaɪɹɪʃ/ · frequency rank #2,796

## Definitions
1. The Gaelic language indigenous to Ireland, also known as Irish Gaelic.
2. The Irish people.
3. A surname originating as an ethnonym.
4. A female given name of chiefly Philippine usage.

## Etymology
From Middle English Irish (12th c.), from Old English *Īrisċ, from Old English Īras (“Irishmen”), from Old Norse Írar, from Old Irish Ériu (modern Irish Éire (“Ireland”)), further origin heavily debated but probably from Proto-Celtic *Φīweriyū (“fat land, fertile”), from Proto-Indo-European *péyh₂wr̥ (“fat, swelling”), from *peyh₂- (“to swell; to be fat”), akin to Ancient Greek πίειρα (píeira, “fertile land”), Sanskrit पीवरी (pīvarī, “fat”).

## Easily confused with
- **IRS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/irish-vs-irs)
- **Isis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/irish-vs-isis)
- **iris** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/iris-vs-irish)
- **ibis** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ibis-vs-irish)
- **Irina** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/irina-vs-irish)
- **Idris** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/idris-vs-irish)

## Common misspellings (7)
`iirsh`, `irihs`, `irishh`, `irissh`, `irrish`, `irsih`, `riish`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/irish