lactone

/ˈlæktəʊn/

//ˈlæktəʊn// noun

"lactone" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lactone” is uncommon English (frequency #98,346 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,346
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A cyclic intramolecular ester derived from a hydroxy acid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lactone · lactone · English

lactone · rank #98,346 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #98,346
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 16,425
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ladin

Nearest frequency peer: Ladin (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “lactone”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lactone” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for lactone
PropertyValue
Headwordlactone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlæktəʊn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#98,346
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lactone” 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). lactone lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lactone is uncommon English at frequency #98,346 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlæktəʊn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A cyclic intramolecular ester derived from a hydroxy acid.".

No misspelling variants are generated for lactone in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lacto- + -one. The correct English form is lactone, spelled L-A-C-T-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cyclic intramolecular ester derived from a hydroxy acid.

Etymology

From lacto- + -one.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lactone"?
"lactone" is spelled L-A-C-T-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæktəʊn/.
What does "lactone" mean?
As a noun, "lactone" means: A cyclic intramolecular ester derived from a hydroxy acid.
How do you pronounce "lactone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lactone" is /ˈlæktəʊn/. 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 "lactone"?
From lacto- + -one. 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 "lactone", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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