lance corporal

noun

"lance-corporal" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lance corporal” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lance-corporal · lance corporal · English

lance corporal · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for lance corporal
PropertyValue
Headwordlance corporal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lance corporal” in English

lance corporalfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lance corporal is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

lance corporal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lancepesade, an anglicization from Italian lancia spezzata The correct English form is lance corporal, spelled L-A-N-C-E- -C-O-R-P-O-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.
  2. 2
    A non-commissioned officer in the British Army and Royal Marines, ranking above private and below corporal. A rank with NATO code OR-3.

Etymology

From lancepesade, an anglicization from Italian lancia spezzata

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lance corporal"?
"lance corporal" is spelled L-A-N-C-E- -C-O-R-P-O-R-A-L.
What does "lance corporal" mean?
As a noun, "lance corporal" means: An enlisted rank of grade E-3 in the United States Marine Corps, ranking above private first class and below corporal. Abbreviated as LCpl.
What is the origin of the word "lance corporal"?
From lancepesade, an anglicization from Italian lancia spezzata 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list