vireo

/ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ/

//ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ// noun

"vireo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vireo” is uncommon English (frequency #96,642 among 969 “V” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,642
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of a number of small insectivorous passerine birds, of the genus Vireo, that have grey-green plumage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vireo · vireo · English

vireo · rank #96,642 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,642
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH vint

Nearest frequency peer: vint (-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 “vireo”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for vireo
PropertyValue
Headwordvireo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#96,642
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “vireo” 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).vireofalls 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: “vint” (#96,641), “VLT” (#96,643), “vinaya” (#96,640). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vireo” is #96,642. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

vireo is uncommon English at frequency #96,642 among 969 “V” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for vireo, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. 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 translingual Vireo (genus name), from Latin vireō (“I am green”). The correct English form is vireo, spelled V-I-R-E-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a number of small insectivorous passerine birds, of the genus Vireo, that have grey-green plumage.
  2. 2
    Any bird of the family Vireonidae, which includes vireos, shrike-vireos, greenlets, and peppershrikes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The voices of male vireos are a constant in the spring woodland, providing background music to the longer, prettier songs of tanagers and thrushes. Vireos tend to sing in bursts interrupted by short or long pauses.
  2. Uniquely American, the vireos are a group of some 46 foliage-gleaning forest birds with uncertain family connections. Vireo species are about equally divided between North and South America, with one, the Black-whiskered Vireo, largely restricted to the West Indies. Several vireos make long migratory journeys; all are nocturnal migrants.

Etymology

From translingual Vireo (genus name), from Latin vireō (“I am green”).

This word in other languages

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 "vireo"?
"vireo" is spelled V-I-R-E-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ/.
What does "vireo" mean?
As a noun, "vireo" means: Any of a number of small insectivorous passerine birds, of the genus Vireo, that have grey-green plumage.
How do you pronounce "vireo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vireo" is /ˈvi.ɹi.oʊ/. 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 "vireo"?
From translingual Vireo (genus name), from Latin vireō (“I am green”). 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 "vireo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list