lanolin

/ˈlænəlɪn/

//ˈlænəlɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lanolin” is uncommon English (frequency #75,141 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,141
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lanolin · lanolin · English

lanolin · rank #75,141 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,141
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 16,425
  • PHOTO-FINISH Langmuir

Nearest frequency peer: Langmuir (-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 “lanolin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lanolin” 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 lanolin
PropertyValue
Headwordlanolin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlænəlɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#75,141
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lanolin” 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). lanolin 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

lanolin is uncommon English at frequency #75,141 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlænəlɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.".

lanolin doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Former trademark (1885-1902), from lāna (“wool”) + oleum (“oil”) + -in The correct English form is lanolin, spelled L-A-N-O-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor with a tray of leather-bound books in front of her; she was rubbing lanolin into their covers […] ‘Look at these lovely old editions,’ she said, showing me a couple of small tan books, their bindings still glossy and moist from the lanolin, like newly exposed conkers.

Etymology

Former trademark (1885-1902), from lāna (“wool”) + oleum (“oil”) + -in

Synonyms

E913 when used as a glazing agentlanichollaniolwool fatwool greasewool waxyolk

This word in other languages

lanoline(Français)

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 "lanolin"?
"lanolin" is spelled L-A-N-O-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlænəlɪn/.
What does "lanolin" mean?
As a noun, "lanolin" means: A greasy yellow substance chemically akin to wax that is secreted from wooly animals, with a variety of uses from rust prevention, lubrication and waterproofing to cosmetics and skin ointments.
How do you pronounce "lanolin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lanolin" is /ˈlænəlɪn/. 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 "lanolin"?
Former trademark (1885-1902), from lāna (“wool”) + oleum (“oil”) + -in 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 "lanolin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Leclair#75,148kumbaya#75,131Leitrim#75,151Lerwick#75,153
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