onyx

/ˈɒnɪks/

//ˈɒnɪks// noun

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

"onyx" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“onyx” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,403. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,403
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.

Corpus desk

Index EN-onyx · onyx · English

onyx · rank #29,403 · 6 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,403
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH onus

Nearest frequency peer: onus (-1 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “onyx”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “onyx” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

onyx vs ox
50% similar
onyx vs oy
50% similar
onyx vs on
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for onyx
PropertyValue
Headwordonyx
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒnɪks/
Letters4
Frequency rank#29,403
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “onyx”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).onyxlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “onus” (#29,402), “oppa” (#29,404), “Ola” (#29,401). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “onyx” is #29,403. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around onyx (IPA /ˈɒnɪks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,403 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for onyx, with forms such as "noyx", "onnyx", and "onxy". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "ox", "oy", "on", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis. The correct English form is onyx, spelled O-N-Y-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
  2. 2
    A jet-black color, named after the gemstone.
  3. 3
    Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how onyx appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. People talk about using marble in the bathrooms. Marble wasn't good enough for use—we have onyx!
  2. Near-synonyms: ebony, raven

Etymology

From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis.

This word in other languages

ónix(Español)onyx(Français)Onyx(Deutsch)ónix(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • noyx
  • onnyx
  • onxy
  • onyxx
  • onyyx
  • oynx

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of onyx - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

noyx2onnyx1onxy2onyxx1onyyx1oynx2
Edit distance from "onyx"

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 "onyx"?
"onyx" is spelled O-N-Y-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒnɪks/.
What does "onyx" mean?
As a noun, "onyx" means: A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
What words are commonly confused with "onyx"?
"onyx" is commonly confused with "ox", "oy", "on". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "onyx"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "onyx" is /ˈɒnɪks/. 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 "onyx"?
From Middle English onix (c. 1300), earlier oniche (c. 1250), from Old French oniche or onix, from Latin onyx, from Ancient Greek ὄνυξ (ónux, “onyx”). Doublet of unguis. 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 "onyx", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

onus#29,402oppa#29,404Oahu#29,397paco#29,409

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

mush6 variantsmong6 variantsRonny6 variantsSARS6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list