laud

/lɔːd/

//lɔːd// noun

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

"laud" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laud” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #47,152) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#47,152
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Glorification or praise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laud · laud · English

laud · rank #47,152 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,152
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Laszlo

Nearest frequency peer: Laszlo (-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 neighbours of confusable “laud”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “laud” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

laud vs lu
50% similar
laud vs law
50% similar
laud vs LED
0% similar

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

Key facts for laud
PropertyValue
Headwordlaud
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɔːd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#47,152
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “laud”

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).laudlands 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 “Laszlo” (#47,151), “legation” (#47,154), “Leh” (#47,155). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laud” is #47,152. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for laud is neighbouring look-alikes ("lu", "law", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /lɔːd/. Frequency #47,152 among 2,297 “L” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for laud, with forms such as "ladu", "laudd", and "llaud". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lu", "law", "LED", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lauden, from Old French lauder, from Latin laudō, laudāre, from laus (“praise, glory, fame, renown”), from echoic Proto-Indo-European root *leh₁wdʰ- (“song, sound”). Cognate with Old English lēoþ (“song, poem”), German Lied (“song”). Dou… The correct English form is laud, spelled L-A-U-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Glorification or praise.
  2. 2
    Hymn of praise.
  3. 3
    A prayer service following matins.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So doo vvell and thou ſhalt have laude of the ſame (that is to ſaye of the ruler) […]
  2. Laud be to God

Etymology

From Middle English lauden, from Old French lauder, from Latin laudō, laudāre, from laus (“praise, glory, fame, renown”), from echoic Proto-Indo-European root *leh₁wdʰ- (“song, sound”). Cognate with Old English lēoþ (“song, poem”), German Lied (“song”). Doublet of leed.

This word in other languages

laude(Español)louvor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ladu
  • laudd
  • llaud
  • luad

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ladu2laudd1llaud1luad2
Edit distance from "laud"

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 "laud"?
"laud" is spelled L-A-U-D. The IPA pronunciation is /lɔːd/.
What does "laud" mean?
As a noun, "laud" means: Glorification or praise.
What words are commonly confused with "laud"?
"laud" is commonly confused with "lu", "law", "LED". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "laud"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laud" is /lɔːd/. 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 "laud"?
From Middle English lauden, from Old French lauder, from Latin laudō, laudāre, from laus (“praise, glory, fame, renown”), from echoic Proto-Indo-European root *leh₁wdʰ- (“song, sound”). Cognate with Old English lēoþ (“song, poem”), German Lied (“s... 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 "laud", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

LSAT#47,168Lugo#47,172inky#47,122mino#47,197

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list