lack

/læk/

//læk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lack” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,274 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,274
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

lack vs LC
0% similar
lack vs law
50% similar
lack vs lay
50% similar

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

Key facts for lack
PropertyValue
Headwordlack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/læk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,274
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lack” sits in English 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). lack 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 English entry for lack is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /læk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,274 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for lack, with forms such as "alck", "lacck", and "lackk". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LC", "law", "lay", and more, 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 lack, lakke, lak, from Old English *læc (“deficiency, lack, want”), from Proto-West Germanic *lak, from Proto-Germanic *laką, *lakaz (“slackness”), from Proto-Germanic *lakaz (“limp, slack, loose, low”), related to *lak(k)ōną (“to blame,… The correct English form is lack, spelled L-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.
  2. 2
    A defect or failing; moral or spiritual degeneracy.

Etymology

From Middle English lack, lakke, lak, from Old English *læc (“deficiency, lack, want”), from Proto-West Germanic *lak, from Proto-Germanic *laką, *lakaz (“slackness”), from Proto-Germanic *lakaz (“limp, slack, loose, low”), related to *lak(k)ōną (“to blame, reproach”), from Proto-Indo-European *lok-néh₂-. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Lak (“lack”), Middle Low German lack, lak (“lack”), Dutch lak (“lack, deficiency, calumny”), Icelandic lakur (“lacking”). Related also to Middle Dutch laken (“to blame, lack”). Eclipsed non-native Middle English carence (“absence, lack”), from Old French carence.

Synonyms

dearthdeficiencydeficitdejectioninadequacyinfrequencyinsufficiencymeagernessnonsufficiencylackpaucitypenuryrarenessrarityscantinessscarcityshortageshortcomingunsufficiencywant

Antonyms

adequacyexcess

This word in other languages

falta(Español)manque(Français)Mangel(Deutsch)falta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alck,lacck,lackk,lakc,lcak,llack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lack - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

alck2lacck1lackk1lakc2lcak2llack1
Edit distance from "lack"

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 "lack"?
"lack" is spelled L-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /læk/.
What does "lack" mean?
As a noun, "lack" means: A deficiency or need (of something desirable or necessary); an absence, want, dearth.
What words are commonly confused with "lack"?
"lack" is commonly confused with "LC", "law", "lay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lack" is /læk/. 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 "lack"?
From Middle English lack, lakke, lak, from Old English *læc (“deficiency, lack, want”), from Proto-West Germanic *lak, from Proto-Germanic *laką, *lakaz (“slackness”), from Proto-Germanic *lakaz (“limp, slack, loose, low”), related to *lak(k)ōną (... 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.

Using “lack”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /læk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “LC” - see the side-by-side comparison. lack vs LC
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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