ironic
/aɪˈɹɑ.nɪk/adjective
ironic is spelled I-R-O-N-I-C: 6 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ironic means “Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ironic?
| Letters | 6: I-R-O-N-I-C |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.3 times per million words; the 9,594th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is ironic?
Ironic appears 6.3 times per million words in written English, the 9,594th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ironic?
- UK /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/
- US /aɪˈɹɑ.nɪk/
- Canada /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/
Ironic has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-Ironic.wav, En-us-ironic.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Jjamesryan-ironic.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with ironic?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as ironic from its last stressed vowel (/ɑnɪk/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of ironic
- more ironic comparative
- most ironic superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ironic mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
It's somewhat ironic to have a wave of smog right on Earth Day.
- 2
proscribedOdd or coincidental; strange.
It's ironic that we are eating a sandwich in Sandwich, Massachusetts.
- 3
Acting in an unserious and teasing manner.
Don't take it personally. We're just being ironic.
- 4
Done in an insincere and mocking manner; satirical.
You should assume that everything this guy posts is ironic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ironic in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense characterized by irony:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ironic come from?
Borrowed from Late Latin īrōnicus, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós). Compare Middle French, ironique, equivalent to irony + -ic.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).