Ismay

/ˈɪzmeɪ/

//ˈɪzmeɪ// name

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

"ismay" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Ismay” is uncommon English (frequency #91,646 among 2,140 “I” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,646
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname transferred from the given name.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ismay · Ismay · English

Ismay · rank #91,646 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,646
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH Iowan

Nearest frequency peer: Iowan (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “Ismay”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “Ismay” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Ismay
PropertyValue
HeadwordIsmay
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɪzmeɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#91,646
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Ismay” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).Ismayfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Iowan” (#91,645), “Itami” (#91,648), “interweb” (#91,641). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “Ismay” is #91,646. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Ismay is uncommon English at frequency #91,646 among 2,140 “I” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈɪzmeɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A surname transferred from the given name.".

Ismay doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Matronymic surname from a somewhat rare female given name found in the 13ᵗʰ century. The correct English form is Ismay, spelled I-S-M-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the given name.

Etymology

Matronymic surname from a somewhat rare female given name found in the 13ᵗʰ century.

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 "Ismay"?
"Ismay" is spelled I-S-M-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɪzmeɪ/.
What does "Ismay" mean?
As a proper noun, "Ismay" means: A surname transferred from the given name.
How do you pronounce "Ismay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Ismay" is /ˈɪzmeɪ/. 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 "Ismay"?
Matronymic surname from a somewhat rare female given name found in the 13ᵗʰ century. 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 "Ismay", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Iowan#91,645Itami#91,648Janae#91,655kanon#91,679

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list