larva

/ˈlɑː.və/

//ˈlɑː.və// noun

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

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

The verdict

“larva” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,341. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,341
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An early stage of growth for some insects and amphibians, in which after hatching from their egg, insects are wingless and resemble a caterpillar or grub, and amphibians lack limbs and resemble fish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-larva · larva · English

larva · rank #29,341 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,341
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Laude

Nearest frequency peer: Laude (+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 “larva”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “larva” 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).

larva vs lav
60% similar
larva vs lava
80% similar
larva vs lira
60% similar

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

Key facts for larva
PropertyValue
Headwordlarva
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɑː.və/
Letters5
Frequency rank#29,341
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “larva”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).larvalands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Laude” (#29,342), “Langdon” (#29,339), “Lausanne” (#29,343). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “larva” is #29,341. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around larva (IPA /ˈlɑː.və/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,341 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for larva, with forms such as "alrva", "larav", and "larrva". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lav", "lava", "lira", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin larva (“disembodied spirit, ghost, goblin”). The correct English form is larva, spelled L-A-R-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An early stage of growth for some insects and amphibians, in which after hatching from their egg, insects are wingless and resemble a caterpillar or grub, and amphibians lack limbs and resemble fish.
  2. 2
    An animal in the aforementioned stage.
  3. 3
    A form of a recently born or hatched animal that is quite different from its adult stage.
  4. 4
    A preliminary stage of someone or something, before it has fully matured, especially a time of growth rather than one of performance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The habits of the second nymphal stage are likewise similar to those of the larva stage.
  2. Several possible explanations are advanced for a large decrease in numbers between the egg and larva stage, namely, drift of larvae from the sampling station, escape through the meshes of the net, sinking below the surface layers, and loss from mortality. A seasonally erratic egg to larva ratio is pointed out.

Etymology

From Latin larva (“disembodied spirit, ghost, goblin”).

Synonyms

larva

This word in other languages

larva(Español)larve(Français)Larve(Deutsch)larva(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alrva
  • larav
  • larrva
  • larvva
  • lavra
  • llarva
  • lrava

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of larva - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

alrva2larav2larrva1larvva1lavra2llarva1lrava2
Edit distance from "larva"

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 "larva"?
"larva" is spelled L-A-R-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑː.və/.
What does "larva" mean?
As a noun, "larva" means: An early stage of growth for some insects and amphibians, in which after hatching from their egg, insects are wingless and resemble a caterpillar or grub, and amphibians lack limbs and resemble fish.
What words are commonly confused with "larva"?
"larva" is commonly confused with "lav", "lava", "lira". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "larva"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "larva" is /ˈlɑː.və/. 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 "larva"?
From Latin larva (“disembodied spirit, ghost, goblin”). 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 "larva", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Laude#29,342livid#29,348lotte#29,353mares#29,365

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

looser7 variantsMcKee7 variantsgurus7 variantsMobil7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list