ivory tower
/ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊə/
"ivory-tower" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ivory tower” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
Corpus desk
Index EN-ivory-tower · ivory tower · English
ivory tower · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "I" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ivory tower |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊə/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ivory tower” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ivory tower is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈaɪvəɹi ˈtaʊə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.".
No misspelling variants are generated for ivory tower in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of French tour d'ivoire, based on a biblical phrase, coined by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve to compare the poet Alfred de Vigny (more isolated) with Victor Hugo (more socially engaged). First attested in English in a translation of Laughter by Frenc… The correct English form is ivory tower, spelled I-V-O-R-Y- -T-O-W-E-R.
Definition
- 1A sheltered, overly-academic existence or perspective, implying a disconnection or lack of awareness of reality or practical considerations.
Etymology
Calque of French tour d'ivoire, based on a biblical phrase, coined by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve to compare the poet Alfred de Vigny (more isolated) with Victor Hugo (more socially engaged). First attested in English in a translation of Laughter by French philosopher Henri Bergson (1911). The term was popularized in The Ivory Tower (1917) by Henry James, though used in different sense (millionaires, not professors).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "ivory tower"?
What does "ivory tower" mean?
How do you pronounce "ivory tower"?
What is the origin of the word "ivory tower"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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.