ironic

/aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/

//aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk// adj

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

"ironic" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ironic” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,621. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,621
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ironic · ironic · English

ironic · rank #9,621 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,621
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH lacked

Nearest frequency peer: lacked (+1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ironic”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ironic” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ironic vs irony
67% similar
ironic vs irons
67% similar
ironic vs ironing
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ironic
PropertyValue
Headwordironic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,621
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ironic”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).ironiclands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “lacked” (#9,622), “inheritance” (#9,619), “lin” (#9,623). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ironic” is #9,621. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around ironic (IPA /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,621 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for ironic, with forms such as "iornic", "irnoic", and "iroinc". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "irony", "irons", "ironing", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin īrōnicus, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós). Compare Middle French, ironique, equivalent to irony + -ic. The correct English form is ironic, spelled I-R-O-N-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
  2. 2
    Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
  3. 3
    Acting in an unserious and teasing manner.
  4. 4
    Done in an insincere and mocking manner; satirical.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It's somewhat ironic to have a wave of smog right on Earth Day.
  2. It was ironic I forgot my textbook on human memory.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin īrōnicus, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós). Compare Middle French, ironique, equivalent to irony + -ic.

Synonyms

ironical

This word in other languages

irónico(Español)ironique(Français)ironisch(Deutsch)irónico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • iornic
  • irnoic
  • iroinc
  • ironci
  • ironicc
  • ironnic
  • irronic
  • rionic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ironic - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

iornic2irnoic2iroinc2ironci2ironicc1ironnic1irronic1rionic2
Edit distance from "ironic"

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 "ironic"?
"ironic" is spelled I-R-O-N-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/.
What does "ironic" mean?
As an adjective, "ironic" means: Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
What words are commonly confused with "ironic"?
"ironic" is commonly confused with "irony", "irons", "ironing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ironic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ironic" is /aɪˈɹɒn.ɪk/. 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 "ironic"?
Borrowed from Late Latin īrōnicus, from Ancient Greek εἰρωνικός (eirōnikós). Compare Middle French, ironique, equivalent to irony + -ic. 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 "ironic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lacked#9,622madame#9,627Maggie#9,628Marion#9,629

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

luggage8 variantshorns8 variantsflush8 variantsMorocco8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list