vermilion

/vəˈmɪl.jən/

//vəˈmɪl.jən// noun

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

"vermilion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vermilion” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,634. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,634
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vermilion · vermilion · English

vermilion · rank #39,634 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,634
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH Venn

Nearest frequency peer: Venn (-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 “vermilion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “vermilion” 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
Key facts for vermilion
PropertyValue
Headwordvermilion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/vəˈmɪl.jən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#39,634
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “vermilion”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Venn” (#39,633), “utilisation” (#39,632), “VFX” (#39,636). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vermilion” is #39,634. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around vermilion (IPA /vəˈmɪl.jən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,634 among 969 “V” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for vermilion, with forms such as "evrmilion", "vemrilion", and "verimlion". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillon (“vermilion”), from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), from vermis (“worm”), ultimately in reference to Kermes vermilio, a type of scale insect used to ma… The correct English form is vermilion, spelled V-E-R-M-I-L-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.
  2. 2
    A bright orange-red colour.
  3. 3
    A type of red dye worn in the parting of the hair by married Hindu women.
  4. 4
    The red skin of the lips or its border with the skin of the face.
  5. 5
    The kermes or cochineal insect.
  6. 6
    The cochineal dye made from this insect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Take ſix Ounces of Brimſtone, and melt it in an Iron Ladle, then put two Pound of Quick-ſilver into a ſhammy Leather, or double Linnen Cloth, and ſqueeze it out into the melted Brimſtone, ſtirring them, in the mean Time, with a wooden Spatula till they are well united; and when they are cold, beat the Maſs into a Powder, and ſublime it in a Glaſs-veſſel,…
  2. Fanny was very pretty; her eyes were dark and brilliant, her teeth were like little pearls; her mouth was almost as red as Mademoiselle Caracoline’s when the latter had put on her vermilion.

Etymology

From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillon (“vermilion”), from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), from vermis (“worm”), ultimately in reference to Kermes vermilio, a type of scale insect used to make a crimson dye.

This word in other languages

bermellón(Español)vermillon(Français)Zinnober(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • evrmilion
  • vemrilion
  • verimlion
  • vermiilon
  • vermilino
  • vermilionn
  • vermillion
  • vermiloin
  • vermliion
  • vermmilion
  • verrmilion
  • vremilion
  • vvermilion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

evrmilion2vemrilion2verimlion2vermiilon2vermilino2vermilionn1vermillion1vermiloin2
Edit distance from "vermilion"

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 "vermilion"?
"vermilion" is spelled V-E-R-M-I-L-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /vəˈmɪl.jən/.
What does "vermilion" mean?
As a noun, "vermilion" means: A vivid red synthetic pigment made of mercury sulfide, cinnabar.
What are common misspellings of "vermilion"?
Common misspellings include "evrmilion", "vemrilion", "verimlion", "vermiilon", "vermilino". The correct spelling is "vermilion".
How do you pronounce "vermilion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vermilion" is /vəˈmɪl.jən/. 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 "vermilion"?
From Middle English vermelioun, vermyloun, vermylon, vermilun, from Old French vermeillon (“vermilion”), from vermeil, from Latin vermiculus (“little worm”), from vermis (“worm”), ultimately in reference to Kermes vermilio, a type of scale insect ... 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 "vermilion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

unionized#39,626unguarded#39,625Wehrmacht#39,646affluence#39,670

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

surrealist13 variantsstrikeout13 variantsSouthgate13 variantsscoreline13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list