lanky

/ˈlæŋk.i/

//ˈlæŋk.i// adj

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

"lanky" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lanky” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,322. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,322
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Tall, slim, and rather ungraceful or awkward.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lanky · lanky · English

lanky · rank #40,322 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,322
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lar

Nearest frequency peer: lar (+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 “lanky”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lanky” 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).

lanky vs lay
60% similar
lanky vs link
60% similar
lanky vs lazy
60% similar

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

Key facts for lanky
PropertyValue
Headwordlanky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlæŋk.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,322
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lanky”

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).lankylands 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 “lar” (#40,323), “Laguardia” (#40,320), “Lawrie” (#40,324). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lanky” is #40,322. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around lanky (IPA /ˈlæŋk.i/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #40,322 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Tall, slim, and rather ungraceful or awkward.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for lanky, with forms such as "alnky", "lakny", and "lankky". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lay", "link", "lazy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lank + -y. The correct English form is lanky, spelled L-A-N-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tall, slim, and rather ungraceful or awkward.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. tall and lanky
  2. awkwardly lanky

Etymology

From lank + -y.

Synonyms

gangly

This word in other languages

larguirucho(Español)dégingandé(Français)schlaksig(Deutsch)esguio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alnky
  • lakny
  • lankky
  • lankyy
  • lannky
  • lanyk
  • llanky
  • lnaky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lanky - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

alnky2lakny2lankky1lankyy1lannky1lanyk2llanky1lnaky2
Edit distance from "lanky"

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 "lanky"?
"lanky" is spelled L-A-N-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæŋk.i/.
What does "lanky" mean?
As an adjective, "lanky" means: Tall, slim, and rather ungraceful or awkward.
What words are commonly confused with "lanky"?
"lanky" is commonly confused with "lay", "link", "lazy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lanky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lanky" is /ˈlæŋk.i/. 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 "lanky"?
From lank + -y. 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 "lanky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Laban#40,319Kochi#40,317lurid#40,329Luzon#40,330

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Lawrie8 variantskimura8 variantsitalic8 variantsperuse8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list