memory
/ˈmɛm.ə.ɹi/
"memory" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“memory” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,641 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,641
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The ability of the brain to record information or impressions with the facility of recalling them later, usually at will.
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 | memory |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɛm.ə.ɹi/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #1,641 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “memory” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for memory is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɛm.ə.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,641 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for memory, with forms such as "emmory", "memmory", and "memorry". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "merry", "memo", "melody", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman memorie, Old French memoire etc., from Latin memoria (“the faculty of remembering, remembrance, memory, a historical account”), from memor (“mindful, remembering”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (to remember), related to Ancient Greek … The correct English form is memory, spelled M-E-M-O-R-Y.
Definition
- 1The ability of the brain to record information or impressions with the facility of recalling them later, usually at will.
- 2A record of a thing or an event stored and available for later use by the organism.
- 3The part of a computer that stores variable executable code or data (RAM) or unalterable executable code or default data (ROM).
- 4The time within which past events can be or are remembered.
- 5Which returns to its original shape when heated
- 6A memorial.
- 7Synonym of pelmanism (“memory card game”).
- 8A term of venery for a social group of elephants, normally called a herd.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman memorie, Old French memoire etc., from Latin memoria (“the faculty of remembering, remembrance, memory, a historical account”), from memor (“mindful, remembering”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)mer- (to remember), related to Ancient Greek μνήμη (mnḗmē, “memory”) μέρμερος (mérmeros, “anxious”), μέριμνα (mérimna, “care, thought”), Old English ġemimor (“mindful, remembering”). More at mimmer. Doublet of memoir and memoria. Displaced native Old English ġemynd, which took on a different meaning as modern mind.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: emmory,memmory,memorry,memoryy,memoyr,memroy,meomry,mmemory,mmeory
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of memory - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 “memory”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-E-M-O-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɛm.ə.ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “merry” - see the side-by-side comparison. memory vs merry
- 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.