ornament

Name: ornament, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/

//ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“ornament” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,156 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,156
frequency rank, English: 8
letters: 12
tracked misspellings: 2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ornament vs ornamental

80% similar

ornament vs ointment

75% similar

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

Key facts for ornament
Property	Value
Headword	ornament
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#19,156
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	2
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ornament” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). ornament lands here:

#19,156

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for ornament is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,156 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for ornament, with forms such as "onrament", "oranment", and "ornaemnt". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "ornamental", "ointment", 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 ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun. The correct English form is ornament, spelled O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T.

Definition

1
An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
2
An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.
3
A musical flourish that is unnecessary to the overall melodic or harmonic line, but serves to decorate that line.
4
The articles used in church services.
5
A characteristic that has a decorative function (typically in order to attract a mate)

Etymology

From Middle English ornament, from Old French ornement, from Latin ornamentum (“equipment, apparatus, furniture, trappings, adornment, embellishment”), from ornāre (“to equip, adorn”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

ornamento(Español)ornement(Français)Verzierung(Deutsch)ornamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: onrament,oranment,ornaemnt,ornamennt,ornamentt,ornametn,ornamment,ornamnet,ornmaent,ornnament,orrnament,ronament

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ornament - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "ornament"

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 "ornament"?

"ornament" is spelled O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/.

What does "ornament" mean?

As a noun, "ornament" means: An element of decoration; that which embellishes or adorns.

What words are commonly confused with "ornament"?

"ornament" is commonly confused with "ornamental", "ointment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "ornament"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ornament" is /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/. 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 "ornament"?

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.

Using “ornament”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is O-R-N-A-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɔː(ɹ)nəmənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “ornamental” - see the side-by-side comparison. ornament vs ornamental
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.