leach

/liːt͡ʃ/

//liːt͡ʃ// noun

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

"leach" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“leach” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,983. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,983
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leach · leach · English

leach · rank #20,983 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,983
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lament

Nearest frequency peer: lament (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “leach”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “leach” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

leach vs Leh
40% similar
leach vs lead
60% similar
leach vs leaf
60% similar

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

Key facts for leach
PropertyValue
Headwordleach
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/liːt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#20,983
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leach”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “lament” (#20,982), “lefty” (#20,984), “Kurdistan” (#20,981). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leach” is #20,983. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around leach (IPA /liːt͡ʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,983 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for leach, with forms such as "elach", "laech", and "leacch". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Leh", "lead", "leaf", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English leche (“leachate; sluggish stream”), from Old English *lǣċ, *lǣċe (“muddy stream”), from Proto-Germanic *lēkijō (“a leak, drain, flow”) (compare Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak, drain”)), from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to leak”). Cogn… The correct English form is leach, spelled L-E-A-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
  2. 2
    A tub or vat for leaching ashes, bark, etc.
  3. 3
    Alternative spelling of leech.
  4. 4
    A jelly-like sweetmeat popular in the fifteenth century.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. "This is the leach," said Kitty, pointing to a large, yellowish, upright wooden cylinder, which rested on some slanting boards, down the surface of which ran a brownish liquid that dripped into a trough.

Etymology

From Middle English leche (“leachate; sluggish stream”), from Old English *lǣċ, *lǣċe (“muddy stream”), from Proto-Germanic *lēkijō (“a leak, drain, flow”) (compare Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak, drain”)), from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to leak”). Cognate with Old English leċċan (“to water, moisten”), Old English lacu (“stream, pool, pond”). More at leak, lake.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elach
  • laech
  • leacch
  • leachh
  • leahc
  • lecah
  • lleach

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of leach - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

elach2laech2leacch1leachh1leahc2lecah2lleach1
Edit distance from "leach"

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 "leach"?
"leach" is spelled L-E-A-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /liːt͡ʃ/.
What does "leach" mean?
As a noun, "leach" means: A quantity of wood ashes, through which water passes, and thus imbibes the alkali.
What words are commonly confused with "leach"?
"leach" is commonly confused with "Leh", "lead", "leaf". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leach"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leach" is /liːt͡ʃ/. 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 "leach"?
From Middle English leche (“leachate; sluggish stream”), from Old English *lǣċ, *lǣċe (“muddy stream”), from Proto-Germanic *lēkijō (“a leak, drain, flow”) (compare Proto-Germanic *lekaną (“to leak, drain”)), from Proto-Indo-European *leǵ- (“to le... 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 "leach", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lefty#20,984kilos#20,980Luigi#20,987Keane#20,977

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Mabel7 variantsmaids7 variantsquilt7 variantsslade7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list