ivory

/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/

//ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ivory” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,949. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,949
frequency rank, English
2,140
“I” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ivory · ivory · English

ivory · rank #8,949 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,949
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,140
  • PHOTO-FINISH interrupted

Nearest frequency peer: interrupted (-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 “ivory”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ivory” 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).

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
PropertyValue
Headwordivory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,949
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ivory”

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).ivorylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “interrupted” (#8,948), “Kerry” (#8,950), “incorporate” (#8,947). Among 2,140 “I” headwords, “ivory” is #8,949. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ivory (IPA /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,949 among 2,140 “I” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “Leave the ivory!” he cried. “Leave the ivory! Dead men have no use for ivory!” Some of the Manyuema started to lay down their loads, but this was altogether too much for the avaricious Arabs.
  2. Ye forgot some o' yer ivories, didn't ye, on th' grass?

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.

iovry2ivorry1ivoryy1ivoyr2ivroy2ivvory1viory2
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ivory", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kerry#8,950hints#8,944halls#8,940niche#8,962

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Misses7 variantscakes7 variantswires7 variantsacids7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list