midrib

/ˈmɪdrɪb/

//ˈmɪdrɪb// noun

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

"midrib" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“midrib” is uncommon English (frequency #89,629 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,629
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The strengthened vein down the middle of a flower petal or simple leaf or leaflet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-midrib · midrib · English

midrib · rank #89,629 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,629
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Merkley

Nearest frequency peer: Merkley (-4 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.

Long-tail ranks near “midrib”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “midrib” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for midrib
PropertyValue
Headwordmidrib
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪdrɪb/
Letters6
Frequency rank#89,629
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “midrib” in English

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).midribfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Merkley” (#89,625), “Mentone” (#89,624), “mimesis” (#89,634). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “midrib” is #89,629. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

midrib is uncommon English at frequency #89,629 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɪdrɪb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

midrib doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: mid- + rib The correct English form is midrib, spelled M-I-D-R-I-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    The strengthened vein down the middle of a flower petal or simple leaf or leaflet.
  2. 2
    The continuation of the petiole of a pinnately compound leaf around which the leaflets attach.

Etymology

mid- + rib

Synonyms

midnervemidvein

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 "midrib"?
"midrib" is spelled M-I-D-R-I-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪdrɪb/.
What does "midrib" mean?
As a noun, "midrib" means: The strengthened vein down the middle of a flower petal or simple leaf or leaflet.
How do you pronounce "midrib"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "midrib" is /ˈmɪdrɪb/. 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 "midrib"?
mid- + rib 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 "midrib", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Marlee#89,603manioc#89,598Manado#89,594Nemeth#89,672

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list