laurel

/ˈlɒɹ.əl/

//ˈlɒɹ.əl// noun

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

"laurel" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“laurel” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,454. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,454
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An evergreen shrub of species Laurus nobilis, having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils.

Corpus desk

Index EN-laurel · laurel · English

laurel · rank #12,454 · 8 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,454
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lana

Nearest frequency peer: Lana (-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 “laurel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “laurel” 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).

laurel vs lure
67% similar
laurel vs Lauren
67% similar
laurel vs Laurie
50% similar

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

Key facts for laurel
PropertyValue
Headwordlaurel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɒɹ.əl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,454
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “laurel”

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).laurellands 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 “Lana” (#12,453), “knots” (#12,452), “leftist” (#12,456). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “laurel” is #12,454. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around laurel (IPA /ˈlɒɹ.əl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,454 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for laurel, with forms such as "alurel", "laruel", and "lauerl". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "lure", "Lauren", "Laurie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English laurer, laurel, from Anglo-Norman lorer, from Old French lorier, from Vulgar Latin *laurārius, from Latin laurus (“laurel”). Doublet of loureiro. The correct English form is laurel, spelled L-A-U-R-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evergreen shrub of species Laurus nobilis, having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils.
  2. 2
    A crown of laurel.
  3. 3
    Honor, distinction, fame.
  4. 4
    Any plant of the family Lauraceae.
  5. 5
    Any of various plants of other families that resemble laurels.
  6. 6
    An English gold coin made in 1619, and so called because the king's head on it was crowned with laurel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Laurel leaves were used in the Orient to promote amatory exercise.
  2. to win laurels

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English laurer, laurel, from Anglo-Norman lorer, from Old French lorier, from Vulgar Latin *laurārius, from Latin laurus (“laurel”). Doublet of loureiro.

This word in other languages

laurel(Español)laurier(Français)Lorbeer(Deutsch)louro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alurel
  • laruel
  • lauerl
  • laurell
  • laurle
  • laurrel
  • llaurel
  • luarel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of laurel - 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.

alurel2laruel2lauerl2laurell1laurle2laurrel1llaurel1luarel2
Edit distance from "laurel"

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 "laurel"?
"laurel" is spelled L-A-U-R-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɒɹ.əl/.
What does "laurel" mean?
As a noun, "laurel" means: An evergreen shrub of species Laurus nobilis, having aromatic leaves of a lanceolate shape, with clusters of small, yellowish white flowers in their axils.
What words are commonly confused with "laurel"?
"laurel" is commonly confused with "lure", "Lauren", "Laurie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "laurel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "laurel" is /ˈlɒɹ.əl/. 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 "laurel"?
Inherited from Middle English laurer, laurel, from Anglo-Norman lorer, from Old French lorier, from Vulgar Latin *laurārius, from Latin laurus (“laurel”). Doublet of loureiro. 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 "laurel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lizard#12,459Naples#12,465holden#12,439Helena#12,437

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

knots8 variantslyric8 variantsHarriet8 variantsPhilly8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list