lacrosse

/ləˈkɹɒs/

//ləˈkɹɒs// noun

"lacrosse" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lacrosse” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,171. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,171
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by scoring more goals within the allotted time.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lacrosse · lacrosse · English

lacrosse · rank #17,171 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #17,171
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kimberly

Nearest frequency peer: Kimberly (-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 “lacrosse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lacrosse” 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).

lacrosse vs lactose
75% similar

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

Key facts for lacrosse
PropertyValue
Headwordlacrosse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ləˈkɹɒs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#17,171
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lacrosse”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Kimberly” (#17,170), “Lars” (#17,172), “kickoff” (#17,169). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lacrosse” is #17,171. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lacrosse (IPA /ləˈkɹɒs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,171 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by scoring more goals within the allotted time.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lacrosse, with forms such as "alcrosse", "laccrosse", and "lacorsse". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lactose", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Canadian French la crosse (“the stick”). The correct English form is lacrosse, spelled L-A-C-R-O-S-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by scoring more goals within the allotted time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The great invasion games of basketball, field and ice hockey, lacrosse and the varied football codes seem to provide an immense attraction for all ages, and billions of people around the world play and watch these sports.
  2. After the accuser proved unable to identify her assailants during two photo lineups, Nifong told the police to give her a third chance, showing her pictures only of the 46 white lacrosse players without any pictures of “fillers,” or nonsuspects.

Etymology

Borrowed from Canadian French la crosse (“the stick”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alcrosse
  • laccrosse
  • lacorsse
  • lacrose
  • lacroses
  • lacrrosse
  • lacrsose
  • larcosse
  • lcarosse
  • llacrosse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alcrosse2laccrosse1lacorsse2lacrose1lacroses2lacrrosse1lacrsose2larcosse2
Edit distance from "lacrosse"

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 "lacrosse"?
"lacrosse" is spelled L-A-C-R-O-S-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ləˈkɹɒs/.
What does "lacrosse" mean?
As a noun, "lacrosse" means: A sport played on a field between two opposing teams using sticks (crosses) and a ball, whereby one team defeats the other by scoring more goals within the allotted time.
What words are commonly confused with "lacrosse"?
"lacrosse" is commonly confused with "lactose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lacrosse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lacrosse" is /ləˈkɹɒs/. 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 "lacrosse"?
Borrowed from Canadian French la crosse (“the stick”). 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 "lacrosse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list