lawman

/ˈlɔːmæn/

//ˈlɔːmæn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lawman” is uncommon English (frequency #54,897 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,897
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lawspeaker: a declarer of the law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lawman · lawman · English

lawman · rank #54,897 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,897
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH LCA

Nearest frequency peer: LCA (+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 “lawman”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lawman
PropertyValue
Headwordlawman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɔːmæn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#54,897
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lawman” in English

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).lawmanfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “LCA” (#54,898), “LASIK” (#54,894), “lascivious” (#54,893). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lawman” is #54,897. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lawman is uncommon English at frequency #54,897 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɔːmæn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

lawman doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English laweman, laȝaman (as a man's name, Laȝamon, Layamon), from Old English lahmann, borrowed from Old Norse lǫgmaðr. In present use as a law-enforcement officer, law + -man. The correct English form is lawman, spelled L-A-W-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lawspeaker: a declarer of the law.
  2. 2
    One of 12 magistrates in certain Danish boroughs of England empowered with soc and sac over their own households.
  3. 3
    The presiding justice of the supreme court.
  4. 4
    A man of the law: a lawyer.
  5. 5
    An officer of the law: a law-enforcement officer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From the twelfth century Shetland had been administered directly by the Norwegian crown through the 'foud', rather than forming part of the patrimony of a great aristocratic estate. The foud appointed 'underfouds' and the Shetlands evolved their own elected officers, a 'lawman' and parish 'lawrightmen', who adjudicated and negotiated the collection of cus…
  2. "Fill your hand, you sonuvabitch," the old lawman cries, clamping the reins of his horse between his teeth and filling his own hands with six-gun and repeater.

Etymology

From Middle English laweman, laȝaman (as a man's name, Laȝamon, Layamon), from Old English lahmann, borrowed from Old Norse lǫgmaðr. In present use as a law-enforcement officer, law + -man.

This word in other languages

homme de loi(Français)

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 "lawman"?
"lawman" is spelled L-A-W-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɔːmæn/.
What does "lawman" mean?
As a noun, "lawman" means: A lawspeaker: a declarer of the law.
How do you pronounce "lawman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lawman" is /ˈlɔːmæn/. 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 "lawman"?
From Middle English laweman, laȝaman (as a man's name, Laȝamon, Layamon), from Old English lahmann, borrowed from Old Norse lǫgmaðr. In present use as a law-enforcement officer, law + -man. 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 "lawman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lemony#54,901Kilmer#54,884katara#54,880Maruti#54,922

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list