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irma

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "irma", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "irma" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "irma" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Irma is aEnglishname. It means: A female given name from the Germanic languages. Often confused with IRS and ISA.

Key facts for Irma
PropertyValue
HeadwordIrma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
Letters4
Frequency rank#28,258
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Irma in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Irma is 4 letters long, classified as aname. Corpus data places it at rank #28,258 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.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for Irma, with forms such as "iram", "irmma", and "irrma". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "IRS", "ISA", "Irv", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German Irma in the nineteenth century. Short form of Germanic names beginning with irm(en)-, erm(en) "whole, entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Cognate with English Emma. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Irma, spelled I-R-M-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from the Germanic languages.
  2. 2
    A village in Alberta, Canada.
  3. 3
    A village in Lombardy, Italy.
  4. 4
    An unincorporated community in Wisconsin.

Etymology

From German Irma in the nineteenth century. Short form of Germanic names beginning with irm(en)-, erm(en) "whole, entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Cognate with English Emma.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iram,irmma,irrma,rima

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Irma

Misspelling Variants of "Irma"

iram4irmma5irrma5rima4
Misspelling Variants of "Irma"

Frequency rank: #28,258 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Irma"?
"Irma" is spelled I-R-M-A.
What does "Irma" mean?
As a name, "Irma" means: A female given name from the Germanic languages.
What words are commonly confused with "Irma"?
"Irma" is commonly confused with "IRS", "ISA", "Irv". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "Irma"?
From German Irma in the nineteenth century. Short form of Germanic names beginning with irm(en)-, erm(en) "whole, entire", from Proto-Germanic *ermunaz. Cognate with English Emma. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter I in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.