labyrinthine

/ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn/

//ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn// adj

"labyrinthine" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“labyrinthine” is uncommon English (frequency #57,503 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,503
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Physically resembling a labyrinth; with the qualities of a maze.

Corpus desk

Index EN-labyrinthine · labyrinthine · English

labyrinthine · rank #57,503 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,503
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kwa

Nearest frequency peer: Kwa (-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 “labyrinthine”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for labyrinthine
PropertyValue
Headwordlabyrinthine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn/
Letters12
Frequency rank#57,503
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “labyrinthine” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).labyrinthinefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Kwa” (#57,502), “Lahey” (#57,504), “kudo” (#57,500). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “labyrinthine” is #57,503. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

labyrinthine is uncommon English at frequency #57,503 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for labyrinthine in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From labyrinth + -ine from Ancient Greek λᾰβύρῐνθος (lăbúrĭnthos, “a maze”). The correct English form is labyrinthine, spelled L-A-B-Y-R-I-N-T-H-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Physically resembling a labyrinth; with the qualities of a maze.
  2. 2
    Relating to the labyrinth of the inner ear.
  3. 3
    Convoluted, baffling, confusing, perplexing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As our train to Paris dashed through the labyrynthine flyovers at Porchefontaine, barely a mile from Versailles, the 75 m.p.h. limit was already almost attained.
  2. In the pyloric canal, muscular ridges are more fixed than elsewhere and produce quite a labyrinthine surface.

Etymology

From labyrinth + -ine from Ancient Greek λᾰβύρῐνθος (lăbúrĭnthos, “a maze”).

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 "labyrinthine"?
"labyrinthine" is spelled L-A-B-Y-R-I-N-T-H-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn/.
What does "labyrinthine" mean?
As an adjective, "labyrinthine" means: Physically resembling a labyrinth; with the qualities of a maze.
How do you pronounce "labyrinthine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "labyrinthine" is /ˌlab.əˈɹɪn.θʌɪn/. 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 "labyrinthine"?
From labyrinth + -ine from Ancient Greek λᾰβύρῐνθος (lăbúrĭnthos, “a maze”). 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 "labyrinthine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list