lantern
/ˈlæntən/
"lantern" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lantern” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,804 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #12,804
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A case of translucent or transparent material made to protect a flame, or light, used to illuminate its surroundings.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lantern |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlæntən/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #12,804 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lantern” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lantern is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlæntən/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,804 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for lantern, with forms such as "alntern", "lanetrn", and "lanntern". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "later", "latter", "lander", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lanterne (13th century), via Old French lanterne from Latin lanterna (“lantern”), itself a corruption of Ancient Greek λαμπτήρ (lamptḗr, “torch”) (see lamp, λάμπω (lámpō)) by influence of Latin lucerna (“lamp”). The spelling lanthorn was… The correct English form is lantern, spelled L-A-N-T-E-R-N.
Definition
- 1A case of translucent or transparent material made to protect a flame, or light, used to illuminate its surroundings.
- 2Especially, a metal casing with lens used to illuminate a stage (e.g. spotlight, floodlight).
- 3An open structure of light material set upon a roof, to give light and air to the interior.
- 4A cage or open chamber of rich architecture, open below into the building or tower which it crowns.
- 5A smaller and secondary cupola crowning a larger one, for ornament, or to admit light.
- 6A lantern pinion or trundle wheel.
- 7A kind of cage inserted in a stuffing box and surrounding a piston rod, to separate the packing into two parts and form a chamber between for the reception of steam, etc.; a lantern brass.
- 8A light formerly used as a signal by a railway guard or conductor at night.
- 9A perforated barrel to form a core upon.
- 10Aristotle's lantern
Etymology
From Middle English lanterne (13th century), via Old French lanterne from Latin lanterna (“lantern”), itself a corruption of Ancient Greek λαμπτήρ (lamptḗr, “torch”) (see lamp, λάμπω (lámpō)) by influence of Latin lucerna (“lamp”). The spelling lanthorn was current during the 16th to 19th centuries and originates with a folk etymology associating the word with the use of horn as translucent cover. For the verb, compare French lanterner to hang at the lamppost. Displaced native Old English lēohtfæt (literally “light-container”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: alntern,lanetrn,lanntern,lantenr,lanternn,lanterrn,lantren,lanttern,latnern,llantern,lnatern
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lantern - 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.
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 "lantern"?
What does "lantern" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "lantern"?
How do you pronounce "lantern"?
What is the origin of the word "lantern"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “lantern”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-N-T-E-R-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlæntən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “later” - see the side-by-side comparison. lantern vs later
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.