layperson
/ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/
"layperson" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“layperson” is uncommon English (frequency #68,381 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #68,381
- frequency rank, English
- 2,297
- “L” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who is not a cleric.
Corpus desk
Index EN-layperson · layperson · English
layperson · rank #68,381 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #68,381
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,297
- PHOTO-FINISH lariat
Nearest frequency peer: lariat (-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 “layperson”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- lameness
lameness
31,623 corpus weight
- lamprey
lamprey
31,622 corpus weight
- lariat
lariat
31,621 corpus weight
- layperson
layperson
31,620 corpus weight
- leatherhead
leatherhead
31,619 corpus weight
- lense
lense
31,618 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “layperson” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “layperson” in English
Rare enough to double-check
layperson is uncommon English at frequency #68,381 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈleɪ.pɜɹ.sən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how layperson appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Holonyms: laity; see also Thesaurus:laity
We should not underestimate European laypeople. They were perfectly capable of thinking for themselves, particularly about death, a religious theme in which everyone had an investment and about which everyone was likely to have an opinion. There is no need to invoke the idea of systematic pagan survival to account for this: Europe’s mass Christianization…
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
How do you spell "layperson"?
What does "layperson" mean?
How do you pronounce "layperson"?
What is the origin of the word "layperson"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "layperson", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).