eyelid

/ˈaɪ.lɪd/

//ˈaɪ.lɪd// noun

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

"eyelid" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“eyelid” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,543. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,543
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.

Corpus desk

Index EN-eyelid · eyelid · English

eyelid · rank #28,543 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,543
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH fainting

Nearest frequency peer: fainting (+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 “eyelid”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “eyelid” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

eyelid vs eyed
67% similar
eyelid vs Euclid
50% similar

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

Key facts for eyelid
PropertyValue
Headwordeyelid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈaɪ.lɪd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,543
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “eyelid”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “fainting” (#28,544), “experimentally” (#28,541), “fecal” (#28,545). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “eyelid” is #28,543. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around eyelid (IPA /ˈaɪ.lɪd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,543 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for eyelid, with forms such as "eeylid", "eyeild", and "eyeldi". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "eyed", "Euclid", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English eyelidd, eye-led, eiȝelid, eghe-lydd, yȝe-lydd, ehlid, yhelidd, from an unrecorded Old English *ēaghlid (“eyelid”), from Proto-West Germanic *augahlid (“eyelid”), equivalent to eye + lid. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oogenlid (“eyelid”… The correct English form is eyelid, spelled E-Y-E-L-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By his neeſings a light doth ſhine, and his eyes are like the eye-liddes of the morning.
  2. […] the frightened or insane eyes of an animal, sometimes with eyelids closed in escapeful slumber.

Etymology

From Middle English eyelidd, eye-led, eiȝelid, eghe-lydd, yȝe-lydd, ehlid, yhelidd, from an unrecorded Old English *ēaghlid (“eyelid”), from Proto-West Germanic *augahlid (“eyelid”), equivalent to eye + lid. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oogenlid (“eyelid”), West Frisian eachlid (“eyelid”), Dutch ooglid (“eyelid”), German Low German Ooglidd (“eyelid”), German Augenlid (“eyelid”). Generally superseded non-native Middle English palpebre (“eyelid”), borrowed from Latin palpebra (“eyelid”) (see Modern English palpebra).

Synonyms

blepharonpalpebra

This word in other languages

párpado(Español)paupière(Français)Augenlid(Deutsch)pálpebra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eeylid
  • eyeild
  • eyeldi
  • eyelidd
  • eyellid
  • eyleid
  • eyyelid
  • yeelid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of eyelid - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eeylid2eyeild2eyeldi2eyelidd1eyellid1eyleid2eyyelid1yeelid2
Edit distance from "eyelid"

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 "eyelid"?
"eyelid" is spelled E-Y-E-L-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈaɪ.lɪd/.
What does "eyelid" mean?
As a noun, "eyelid" means: A thin skin membrane that covers and moves over an eye.
What words are commonly confused with "eyelid"?
"eyelid" is commonly confused with "eyed", "Euclid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "eyelid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "eyelid" is /ˈaɪ.lɪd/. 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 "eyelid"?
From Middle English eyelidd, eye-led, eiȝelid, eghe-lydd, yȝe-lydd, ehlid, yhelidd, from an unrecorded Old English *ēaghlid (“eyelid”), from Proto-West Germanic *augahlid (“eyelid”), equivalent to eye + lid. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Oogenlid... 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 "eyelid", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ferret#28,546fitter#28,549enmity#28,530Garvey#28,559

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Eurasia8 variantscheery8 variantscanoes8 variantsbraille8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list