italic
/ɪˈtælɪk/
"italic" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“italic” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,301 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #40,301
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | italic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ɪˈtælɪk/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #40,301 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “italic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for italic is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɪˈtælɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,301 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for italic, with forms such as "iatlic", "itailc", and "italci". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Italy", "italics", "Italia", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Named after the nation of Italy, as it was first used by an Italian printer, Aldo Manuzio, around 1500. Literally Italy + -ic. The correct English form is italic, spelled I-T-A-L-I-C.
Definition
- 1Designed to resemble a handwriting style developed in Italy in the 16th century.
- 2Having letters that slant or lean to the right; oblique.
Etymology
Named after the nation of Italy, as it was first used by an Italian printer, Aldo Manuzio, around 1500. Literally Italy + -ic.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: iatlic,itailc,italci,italicc,itallic,itlaic,ittalic,tialic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of italic - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "italic"?
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Using “italic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is I-T-A-L-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɪˈtælɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Italy” - see the side-by-side comparison. italic vs Italy
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.