neo-
/ˈniːəʊ/
"neo" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“neo-” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a prefix. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - new
Corpus desk
Index EN-neo · neo- · English
neo- · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "N" 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 | neo- |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Prefix |
| IPA | /ˈniːəʊ/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “neo-” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
neo- is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aprefix, transcribed /ˈniːəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for neo-, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek prefix νεο- (neo-), from νέος (néos, “new, young”). The correct English form is neo-, spelled N-E-O--.
Definition
- 1new
- 2contemporary
- 3Having a structure, similar to that of neopentane, in which each hydrogen atom of a methyl group has been replaced by an alkyl group
- 4Being a newly-discovered or -synthesized variant of an existing compound
- 5surgically created
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how neo- appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
neo- + penis → neopenis
neo- + labia → neolabia
Etymology
From Ancient Greek prefix νεο- (neo-), from νέος (néos, “new, young”).
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 September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do next
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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.