ultramarine

/ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn/

//ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn// adj

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

"ultramarine" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ultramarine” is uncommon English (frequency #71,996 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,996
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Beyond the sea.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ultramarine · ultramarine · English

ultramarine · rank #71,996 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,996
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH ues

Nearest frequency peer: ues (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “ultramarine”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ultramarine
PropertyValue
Headwordultramarine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn/
Letters11
Frequency rank#71,996
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ultramarine” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “ues” (#71,995), “uncheck” (#71,997), “underling” (#71,998). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “ultramarine” is #71,996. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ultramarine is uncommon English at frequency #71,996 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

ultramarine doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin ultrāmarīnus, from Latin ultrā (“beyond”) + marīnus (“of or relating to the sea, marine”). By surface analysis, ultra + marine. Noun sense 1 (“pigment”) refers to the fact that lapis lazuli was obtained from foreign countries an… The correct English form is ultramarine, spelled U-L-T-R-A-M-A-R-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beyond the sea.
  2. 2
    Of a brilliant dark blue or slightly purplish color like that of the pigment (noun sense 1).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. [I]n England we ſhall never be taught to look upon the annihilation of our trade, the ruin of our credit, the defeat of our armies, and the loſs of our ultramarine dominions (whatever the author may think of them), to be the high road to proſperity and greatneſs.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin ultrāmarīnus, from Latin ultrā (“beyond”) + marīnus (“of or relating to the sea, marine”). By surface analysis, ultra + marine. Noun sense 1 (“pigment”) refers to the fact that lapis lazuli was obtained from foreign countries and hence “beyond the sea”.

This word in other languages

ultramarino(Español)ultramarin(Français)ultramarin(Deutsch)ultramarino(Português)

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 "ultramarine"?
"ultramarine" is spelled U-L-T-R-A-M-A-R-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn/.
What does "ultramarine" mean?
As an adjective, "ultramarine" means: Beyond the sea.
How do you pronounce "ultramarine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ultramarine" is /ˌʌltɹəməˈɹiːn/. 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 "ultramarine"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin ultrāmarīnus, from Latin ultrā (“beyond”) + marīnus (“of or relating to the sea, marine”). By surface analysis, ultra + marine. Noun sense 1 (“pigment”) refers to the fact that lapis lazuli was obtained from foreign co... 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 "ultramarine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

transversal#71,984voyeuristic#72,020Württemberg#72,038Yugoslavian#72,045

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list