lieutenant

/[lɛfˈtɛnənt]/ noun

Letters

10 characters

Frequency Rank

#14,122

in German word usage

Misspellings

14

tracked variants

Confusables

1

similar word pairs

lieutenant is aGermannoun. It means: der Dienstgrad zwischen captain (Hauptmann) und second lieutenant (Unterleutnant); in den USA wird es auch first lieutenant genannt; der Leutnant, der Oberleutnant Pronounced [lɛfˈtɛnənt]. Often confused with Leutnant.

Key facts for lieutenant
PropertyValue
Headwordlieutenant
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[lɛfˈtɛnənt]
Letters10
Frequency rank#14,122
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of lieutenant in German word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for lieutenant is 10 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [lɛfˈtɛnənt]. Corpus data places it at rank #14,122 in overall German 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 14 documented wrong-spelling variants for lieutenant, with forms such as "ileutenant", "leiutenant", and "lietuenant". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Leutnant", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct German form is lieutenant, spelled L-I-E-U-T-E-N-A-N-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    der Dienstgrad zwischen captain (Hauptmann) und second lieutenant (Unterleutnant); in den USA wird es auch first lieutenant genannt; der Leutnant, der Oberleutnant
  2. 2
    (inkorrekt in Britisch) kurz für second lieutenant, der Leutnant, der Unterleutnant
  3. 3
    Marine:, der Dienstgrad zwischen lieutenant commander und sub-lieutenant; der Kapitänleutnant
  4. 4
    der Polizeihauptwachtmeister, die Polizeihauptwachtmeisterin, der Polizeioberinspektor, die Polizeioberinspektorin

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ileutenant,leiutenant,lietuenant,lieuetnant,lieuteannt,lieutenannt,lieutenantt,lieutenatn,lieutennant,lieutennat,lieutneant,lieuttenant,liuetenant,llieutenant

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for lieutenant

Misspelling Variants of "lieutenant"

ileutenant10leiutenant10lietuenant10lieuetnant10lieuteannt10lieutenannt11lieutenantt11lieutenatn10
Misspelling Variants of "lieutenant"

Frequency rank: #14,122 in German

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lieutenant"?
"lieutenant" is spelled L-I-E-U-T-E-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is [lɛfˈtɛnənt].
What does "lieutenant" mean?
As a noun, "lieutenant" means: der Dienstgrad zwischen captain (Hauptmann) und second lieutenant (Unterleutnant); in den USA wird es auch first lieutenant genannt; der Leutnant, der Oberleutnant
What words are commonly confused with "lieutenant"?
"lieutenant" is commonly confused with "Leutnant". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lieutenant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lieutenant" is [lɛfˈtɛnənt]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lieutenant" come from?
"lieutenant" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Nearby German words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our German index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.