lava

/ˈlɑːvə/

//ˈlɑːvə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lava” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #10,720) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#10,720
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lava · lava · English

lava · rank #10,720 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,720
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lamps

Nearest frequency peer: lamps (-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 neighbourhood for “lava”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lava” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

lava vs LV
0% similar
lava vs law
50% similar
lava vs lay
50% similar

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

Key facts for lava
PropertyValue
Headwordlava
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɑːvə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,720
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lava” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lamps” (#10,719), “LN” (#10,721), “Lambert” (#10,718). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for lava is neighbouring look-alikes ("LV", "law", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈlɑːvə/. Frequency #10,720 among 2,297 “L” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for lava, with forms such as "laav", "lavva", and "llava". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LV", "law", "lay", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discredited, nor … The correct English form is lava, spelled L-A-V-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
  2. 2
    Magma.
  3. 3
    A shade of red, named after the volcanic lava.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Marine iguanas line the shores of the islands, and are usually seen sprawled over lava rocks near the sea.

Etymology

From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discredited, nor is there probably any relation with Arabic لابة (lāba, “black volcanic rock”). Alternatively, the Romance words are connected with Provençal lavo, lauvo (“flat stone”), from a Vulgar Latin source borrowed from a Celtic language such as Gaulish *lawā, but ultimately of obscure origin; see Proto-Celtic *līwos for details.

This word in other languages

lava(Español)lave(Français)Lava(Deutsch)lava(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • laav
  • lavva
  • llava
  • lvaa

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

laav2lavva1llava1lvaa2
Edit distance from "lava"

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 "lava"?
"lava" is spelled L-A-V-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑːvə/.
What does "lava" mean?
As a noun, "lava" means: The molten rock ejected by a volcano from a vent such as a crater or fissure; magma that has breached the surface of the earth.
What words are commonly confused with "lava"?
"lava" is commonly confused with "LV", "law", "lay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lava"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lava" is /ˈlɑːvə/. 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 "lava"?
From Italian, from Neapolitan and Sicilian lava (“lava; downpour overflowing the streets”), likely from Latin lābēs (“a fall; a collapse; subsidence”); compare lābīna (“landslide”). A supposed relation with lavare (“to wash”) is now widely discred... 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 "lava", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mann#10,725hose#10,710Hank#10,709null#10,735

What to do next

You've looked up "lava". Here's where to go from here.

  • "lava" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "LV". View pair
  • 4 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #10,720 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list