lazaretto
/ˌlæzəˈɹɛtəʊ/
"lazaretto" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lazaretto” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A place reserved for people with infectious diseases (especially leprosy or plague) to live on a long-term basis.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lazaretto |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌlæzəˈɹɛtəʊ/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lazaretto” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
lazaretto is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌlæzəˈɹɛtəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for lazaretto in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian lazzareto (archaic), lazzaretto, lazzeretto, from lazzaro (“leper”) + -etto (diminutive or meliorative suffix). Lazzaro is derived from Medieval Latin lazarus (“leper”), from Lazarus, from Ancient Greek Λᾱ́ζᾱρος (Lā́zāros), from Hebrew… The correct English form is lazaretto, spelled L-A-Z-A-R-E-T-T-O.
Definition
- 1A place reserved for people with infectious diseases (especially leprosy or plague) to live on a long-term basis.
- 2A building such as a hospital, or occasionally a ship, used to temporarily isolate sick people to prevent the spread of infectious diseases; a quarantine.
- 3A place at the front of the tweendecks of a merchant ship where provisions are stored.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian lazzareto (archaic), lazzaretto, lazzeretto, from lazzaro (“leper”) + -etto (diminutive or meliorative suffix). Lazzaro is derived from Medieval Latin lazarus (“leper”), from Lazarus, from Ancient Greek Λᾱ́ζᾱρος (Lā́zāros), from Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('el'azár, literally “God has helped”), from אֵל ('él, “God; a deity, god”) + עָזַר ('azár, “to assist, help”). Lazarus is a Biblical character mentioned in the parable of Jesus known as “The rich man and Lazarus” who is described as being a beggar covered in sores: see Luke 16:20–21. Doublet of lazar and lazaret. The plural form lazaretti is borrowed from Italian lazzaretti, lazzeretti.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “lazaretto”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-A-Z-A-R-E-T-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌlæzəˈɹɛtəʊ/ (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.