jib
/d͡ʒɪb/
"jib" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“jib” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,527 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #37,527
- frequency rank, English
- 3
- letters
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A triangular staysail set forward of the foremast. In a sloop (see image) the basic jib reaches back roughly to the level of the mast.
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 | jib |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /d͡ʒɪb/ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #37,527 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “jib” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for jib is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /d͡ʒɪb/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,527 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.
No misspelling variants are generated for jib in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Jr", "jo", "Ju", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Attested since the 1660s, of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to jib (“shift or swing around”) (see below). The correct English form is jib, spelled J-I-B.
Definition
- 1A triangular staysail set forward of the foremast. In a sloop (see image) the basic jib reaches back roughly to the level of the mast.
- 2Any of a variety of specialty triangular staysails set forward of the foremast.
Etymology
Attested since the 1660s, of uncertain origin. Perhaps related to jib (“shift or swing around”) (see below).
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); 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
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Using “jib”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is J-I-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /d͡ʒɪb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Jr” - see the side-by-side comparison. jib vs Jr
- 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.