ibn

\i.bøn\

/\i.bøn\/ noun

The verdict

“ibn” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #10,014 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,014
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mot Arabe signifiant fils.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ibn vs il
33% similar
ibn vs ii
33% similar
ibn vs it
33% similar

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

Key facts for ibn
PropertyValue
Headwordibn
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\i.bøn\
Letters3
Frequency rank#10,014
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “ibn” sits in French 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). ibn lands here:

#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 French entry for ibn is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \i.bøn\. Corpus data places it at rank #10,014 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Mot Arabe signifiant fils.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ibn, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "il", "ii", "it", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is ibn, spelled I-B-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mot Arabe signifiant fils.

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ibn"?
"ibn" is spelled I-B-N. The IPA pronunciation is \i.bøn\.
What does "ibn" mean?
As a noun, "ibn" means: Mot Arabe signifiant fils.
What words are commonly confused with "ibn"?
"ibn" is commonly confused with "il", "ii", "it". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ibn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ibn" is \i.bøn\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ibn" come from?
"ibn" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “ibn”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is I-B-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \i.bøn\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “il” - see the side-by-side comparison. ibn vs il
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list