Lazarus

Name: Lazarus, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈlæzəɹəs/

//ˈlæzəɹəs// name

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Lazarus” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,687 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#20,687
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lazarus of Bethany, a man supposedly raised from the dead by Jesus Christ and later (Christianity) revered as a saint.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Lazarus vs lazar

57% similar

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

Key facts for Lazarus
Property	Value
Headword	Lazarus
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/ˈlæzəɹəs/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#20,687
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Lazarus” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Lazarus lands here:

#20,687

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Lazarus is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlæzəɹəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,687 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Lazarus, with forms such as "alzarus", "laazrus", and "lazarrus". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lazar", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Latin Lazarus, from Koine Greek Λᾱ́ζᾱρος (Lā́zāros), the given name of Biblical characters found in Luke 16 and John 12, from Biblical Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azár), a given name shared by various figures in the Hebrew Bible and literally meaning "G… The correct English form is Lazarus, spelled L-A-Z-A-R-U-S.

Definition

1
Lazarus of Bethany, a man supposedly raised from the dead by Jesus Christ and later (Christianity) revered as a saint.
2
A beggar in a parable by Jesus Christ, traditionally (Christianity) believed to have been a leper and often conflated with Lazarus of Bethany.
3
A male given name from Hebrew.
4
A surname from Hebrew.

Etymology

From Late Latin Lazarus, from Koine Greek Λᾱ́ζᾱρος (Lā́zāros), the given name of Biblical characters found in Luke 16 and John 12, from Biblical Hebrew אֶלְעָזָר ('El'azár), a given name shared by various figures in the Hebrew Bible and literally meaning "God has helped". Doublet of Eleazar.

Synonyms

Lazarus of BethanySaint LazarusSaint Lazare

This word in other languages

Lázaro(Español)Lazare(Français)Lazarus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: alzarus,laazrus,lazarrus,lazarsu,lazaruss,lazaurs,lazraus,lazzarus,llazarus,lzaarus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Lazarus - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "Lazarus"

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 "Lazarus"?

"Lazarus" is spelled L-A-Z-A-R-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlæzəɹəs/.

What does "Lazarus" mean?

As a proper noun, "Lazarus" means: Lazarus of Bethany, a man supposedly raised from the dead by Jesus Christ and later (Christianity) revered as a saint.

What words are commonly confused with "Lazarus"?

"Lazarus" is commonly confused with "lazar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "Lazarus"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lazarus" is /ˈlæzəɹəs/. 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 "Lazarus"?

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.

Using “Lazarus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is L-A-Z-A-R-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈlæzəɹəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “lazar” - see the side-by-side comparison. Lazarus vs lazar
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.