lace

/leɪs/

//leɪs// noun

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

"lace" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lace” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,355. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,355
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lace · lace · English

lace · rank #9,355 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,355
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Libya

Nearest frequency peer: Libya (+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 “lace”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lace” 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).

lace vs le
50% similar
lace vs LC
0% similar
lace vs law
50% similar

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

Key facts for lace
PropertyValue
Headwordlace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/leɪs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,355
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lace”

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).lacelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Libya” (#9,356), “joints” (#9,352), “louder” (#9,358). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lace” is #9,355. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around lace (IPA /leɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,355 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lace, with forms such as "alce", "lacce", and "laec". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "le", "LC", "law", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lace, laace, las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, based on Latin laqueus. Doublet of lasso. The correct English form is lace, spelled L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.
  2. 2
    A cord or ribbon passed through eyelets in a shoe or garment, pulled tight and tied to fasten the shoe or garment firmly.
  3. 3
    A snare or gin, especially one made of interwoven cords; a net.
  4. 4
    Spirits added to coffee or another beverage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. c. 1620, Francis Bacon, letter of advice to Sir George Villiers Our English dames are much given to the wearing of very fine and costly laces.
  2. She was a fat, round little woman, richly apparelled in velvet and lace, […]; and the way she laughed, cackling like a hen, the way she talked to the waiters and the maid,[…]—all these unexpected phenomena impelled one to hysterical mirth, and made one class her with such immortally ludicrous types as Ally Sloper, the Widow Twankey, or Miss Moucher.

Etymology

From Middle English lace, laace, las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, based on Latin laqueus. Doublet of lasso.

Synonyms

shoelacetie

This word in other languages

encaje(Español)dentelle(Français)Spitze(Deutsch)renda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alce
  • lacce
  • laec
  • lcae
  • llace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lace - 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.

alce2lacce1laec2lcae2llace1
Edit distance from "lace"

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 "lace"?
"lace" is spelled L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /leɪs/.
What does "lace" mean?
As a noun, "lace" means: A light fabric containing patterns of holes, usually built up from a single thread.
What words are commonly confused with "lace"?
"lace" is commonly confused with "le", "LC", "law". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lace" is /leɪs/. 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 "lace"?
From Middle English lace, laace, las, from Old French las, from Vulgar Latin *laceum, based on Latin laqueus. Doublet of lasso. 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 "lace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Hans#9,342guru#9,340pier#9,380Eden#9,325

Similar misspelling depth

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

quiz5 variantsDana5 variantscube5 variantswhoa5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list