laudanum

/ˈlɔːdənəm/

//ˈlɔːdənəm// noun

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

"laudanum" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laudanum” is uncommon English (frequency #70,825 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,825
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laudanum · laudanum · English

laudanum · rank #70,825 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,825
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH laughingstock

Nearest frequency peer: laughingstock (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “laudanum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “laudanum” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for laudanum
PropertyValue
Headwordlaudanum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɔːdənəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#70,825
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “laudanum” in English

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).laudanumfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “laughingstock” (#70,826), “Latta” (#70,823), “layaway” (#70,827). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laudanum” is #70,825. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

laudanum is uncommon English at frequency #70,825 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɔːdənəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.".

laudanum has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin, from lādanum (“a gum resin”), from Ancient Greek λᾱ́δανον (lā́danon). Originally the same word as ladanum, labdanum, compare French laudanum, Italian laudano, ladano. Perhaps influenced by Latin laudō (“to praise”). See ladanum. Used by Para… The correct English form is laudanum, spelled L-A-U-D-A-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ever since my recovery from the fever I had been in the custom of taking every night a small quantity of laudanum; for it was by means of this drug only that I was enabled to gain the rest necessary for the preservation of life.
  2. Whatever else was wanting to a wise man's happiness, —of laudanum I would have given him as much as he wished, and in a golden cup.

Etymology

From New Latin, from lādanum (“a gum resin”), from Ancient Greek λᾱ́δανον (lā́danon). Originally the same word as ladanum, labdanum, compare French laudanum, Italian laudano, ladano. Perhaps influenced by Latin laudō (“to praise”). See ladanum. Used by Paracelsus to refer to ladanum gum, and to a compound recipe containing pearls, but apparently not to any preparation of opium; this modern sense was introduced by his followers (Sigerist 1941:540–1).

This word in other languages

láudano(Español)laudanum(Français)Laudanum(Deutsch)

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 "laudanum"?
"laudanum" is spelled L-A-U-D-A-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɔːdənəm/.
What does "laudanum" mean?
As a noun, "laudanum" means: Any of several tinctures of opium, once widely used for various medical purposes and as a recreational drug.
How do you pronounce "laudanum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laudanum" is /ˈlɔːdənəm/. 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 "laudanum"?
From New Latin, from lādanum (“a gum resin”), from Ancient Greek λᾱ́δανον (lā́danon). Originally the same word as ladanum, labdanum, compare French laudanum, Italian laudano, ladano. Perhaps influenced by Latin laudō (“to praise”). See ladanum. Us... 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 "laudanum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

linoleic#70,833jingling#70,790McDevitt#70,885McLemore#70,886

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list