layperson
/ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/
"layperson" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“layperson” is an uncommon English word, ranked #68,381 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #68,381
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who is not a cleric.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | layperson |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #68,381 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “layperson” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for layperson is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/. Corpus data places it at rank #68,381 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
layperson has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: A lay (“non-clergy, nonclergy”) + person, along the lines of layman. The correct English form is layperson, spelled L-A-Y-P-E-R-S-O-N.
Definition
- 1A person who is not a cleric.
- 2One who is not intimately familiar with a given subject or activity.
Etymology
A lay (“non-clergy, nonclergy”) + person, along the lines of layman.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
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
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Using “layperson”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-Y-P-E-R-S-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.