ivory

Name: ivory, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/

//ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“ivory” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,949 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#8,949
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ivory vs ivy

60% similar

ivory vs Ivo

40% similar

ivory vs Igor

40% similar

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

Key facts for ivory
Property	Value
Headword	ivory
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#8,949
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	6
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ivory” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ivory lands here:

#8,949

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ivory is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,949 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ivory, with forms such as "iovry", "ivorry", and "ivoryy". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "ivy", "Ivo", "Igor", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic Egyptian yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egyptian ꜣbw (“… The correct English form is ivory, spelled I-V-O-R-Y.

Definition

1
The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals.
2
A creamy white color, the color of ivory.
3
Something made from or resembling ivory.
4
The teeth.
5
The keys of a piano; or, the white keys, as opposed to the black keys (ebonies).
6
A white person.
7
A die (object bearing numbers, thrown in games of chance).

Etymology

From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic Egyptian yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egyptian ꜣbw (“elephant, ivory, Elephantine”), from Proto-Afroasiatic *leb-. Displaced native Old English elpendbān (literally “elephant bone”).

This word in other languages

marfil(Español)ivoire(Français)Elfenbein(Deutsch)marfim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: iovry,ivorry,ivoryy,ivoyr,ivroy,ivvory,viory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ivory - 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.

Edit distance from "ivory"

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 "ivory"?

"ivory" is spelled I-V-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/.

What does "ivory" mean?

As a noun, "ivory" means: The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals.

What words are commonly confused with "ivory"?

"ivory" is commonly confused with "ivy", "Ivo", "Igor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "ivory"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ivory" is /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/. 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 "ivory"?

From Middle English yvory, ivorie, from Anglo-Norman ivurie, from Latin eboreus (“in or of ivory”) adjective of ebur (“ivory”) (genitive eboris), from Demotic Egyptian yb (“ivory, Elephantine”) (compare Coptic ⲓⲏⲃ (iēb, “Elephantine”)), from Egypt... 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.

Using “ivory”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is I-V-O-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “ivy” - see the side-by-side comparison. ivory vs ivy
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.