vertigo
/ˈvɜːtɪɡəʊ/
"vertigo" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“vertigo” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,718 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,718
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sensation of whirling and loss of balance, caused by looking down from a great height or by disease affecting the inner ear.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | vertigo |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈvɜːtɪɡəʊ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #23,718 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “vertigo” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for vertigo is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈvɜːtɪɡəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,718 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for vertigo, with forms such as "evrtigo", "veritgo", and "verrtigo". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin vertīgō. The correct English form is vertigo, spelled V-E-R-T-I-G-O.
Definition
- 1A sensation of whirling and loss of balance, caused by looking down from a great height or by disease affecting the inner ear.
- 2A disordered or imbalanced state of mind or things analogous to physical vertigo; mental giddiness or dizziness.
- 3The act of whirling round and round; rapid rotation.
- 4A snail of the genus Vertigo.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin vertīgō.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: evrtigo,veritgo,verrtigo,vertgio,vertiggo,vertiog,verttigo,vetrigo,vretigo,vvertigo
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of vertigo - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "vertigo"?
What does "vertigo" mean?
What are common misspellings of "vertigo"?
How do you pronounce "vertigo"?
What is the origin of the word "vertigo"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “vertigo”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-E-R-T-I-G-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈvɜːtɪɡəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.