laughter

/ˈlɑːftə/

//ˈlɑːftə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“laughter” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,065. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,065
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laughter · laughter · English

laughter · rank #6,065 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,065
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH jurisdiction

Nearest frequency peer: jurisdiction (-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 “laughter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “laughter” 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).

laughter vs lighter
75% similar
laughter vs laughed
75% similar

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

Key facts for laughter
PropertyValue
Headwordlaughter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɑːftə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#6,065
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “laughter”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).laughterlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “jurisdiction” (#6,064), “lemon” (#6,066), “iPad” (#6,063). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laughter” is #6,065. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around laughter (IPA /ˈlɑːftə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,065 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for laughter, with forms such as "alughter", "laguhter", and "laugghter". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lighter", "laughed", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter, hilarity… The correct English form is laughter, spelled L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
  2. 2
    A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the laughing face, particularly of the lips, and of the whole body, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs.
  3. 3
    A reason for merriment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Their loud laughter betrayed their presence.
  2. There was some laughter, and Roddle was left free to expand his ideas on the periodic visits of cowboys to the town.

Etymology

From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter, hilarity, merriment”), Danish and Norwegian latter (“laughter”), Icelandic hlátur (“laughter”). More at laugh.

Synonyms

laughlaughter

This word in other languages

risa(Español)rire(Français)Gelächter(Deutsch)riso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alughter
  • laguhter
  • laugghter
  • laughetr
  • laughhter
  • laughterr
  • laughtre
  • laughtter
  • laugther
  • lauhgter
  • llaughter
  • luaghter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

alughter2laguhter2laugghter1laughetr2laughhter1laughterr1laughtre2laughtter1
Edit distance from "laughter"

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 "laughter"?
"laughter" is spelled L-A-U-G-H-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑːftə/.
What does "laughter" mean?
As a noun, "laughter" means: The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
What words are commonly confused with "laughter"?
"laughter" is commonly confused with "lighter", "laughed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "laughter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laughter" is /ˈlɑːftə/. 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 "laughter"?
From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter... 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 "laughter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

matching#6,071monetary#6,073faithful#6,050examined#6,048

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

innovative12 variantsPortugal12 variantsprovider12 variantscycling12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list