lavish

/ˈlævɪʃ/

//ˈlævɪʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“lavish” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,741. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,741
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lavish · lavish · English

lavish · rank #16,741 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,741
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Libyan

Nearest frequency peer: Libyan (+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 “lavish”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lavish” 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).

lavish vs Levis
50% similar
lavish vs lavishly
75% similar
lavish vs lash
67% similar

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

Key facts for lavish
PropertyValue
Headwordlavish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlævɪʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,741
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lavish”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).lavishlands 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 “Libyan” (#16,742), “julio” (#16,739), “livelihood” (#16,743). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lavish” is #16,741. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lavish (IPA /ˈlævɪʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,741 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lavish, with forms such as "alvish", "laivsh", and "lavihs". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Levis", "lavishly", "lash", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivale… The correct English form is lavish, spelled L-A-V-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.
  2. 2
    Superabundant; excessive.
  3. 3
    Unrestrained, impetuous.
  4. 4
    Rank or lush with vegetation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. lavish of money; lavish of praise
  2. The day was cool and snappy for August, and the Rise all green with a lavish nature. Now we plunged into a deep shade with the boughs lacing each other overhead, and crossed dainty, rustic bridges over the cold trout-streams, the boards giving back the clatter of our horses' feet:[…].

Etymology

From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”), equivalent to lave + -ish. Compare Scots lawage, lavisch, lavish (“unrestrained, excessively prodigal, extravagant”). Compare also English lavy (“lavish, liberal”), Dutch lafenis (“lavishness”).

This word in other languages

generoso(Español)somptueux(Français)freigiebig(Deutsch)pródigo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • alvish
  • laivsh
  • lavihs
  • lavishh
  • lavissh
  • lavsih
  • lavvish
  • llavish
  • lvaish

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lavish - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

alvish2laivsh2lavihs2lavishh1lavissh1lavsih2lavvish1llavish1
Edit distance from "lavish"

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 "lavish"?
"lavish" is spelled L-A-V-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlævɪʃ/.
What does "lavish" mean?
As an adjective, "lavish" means: Expending or bestowing profusely; profuse; prodigal.
What words are commonly confused with "lavish"?
"lavish" is commonly confused with "Levis", "lavishly", "lash". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lavish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lavish" is /ˈlævɪʃ/. 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 "lavish"?
From Middle English laves, lavas, lavage (“extravagant, wasteful, prodigal”), from lavas (“excessive abundance”), from Old French lavasse, lavache (“torrent of rain”); possibly later conflated in some senses by Middle English laven (“to pour out”)... 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 "lavish", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Libyan#16,742merlin#16,749morrow#16,753Mozart#16,756

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

muster9 variantsoverride9 variantsGiovanni9 variantspaving9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list