onyx
/ˈɒnɪks/
"onyx" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“onyx” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,403 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #29,403
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
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 | onyx |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɒnɪks/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #29,403 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “onyx” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for onyx is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒnɪks/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,403 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz.
- 2A jet-black color, named after the gemstone.
- 3Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Horaga.
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
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.
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 “onyx”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-N-Y-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɒnɪks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ox” - see the side-by-side comparison. onyx vs ox
- 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.