leader

/ˈliː.də(ɹ)/

//ˈliː.də(ɹ)// noun

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

"leader" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“leader” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,195. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,195
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any person who leads or directs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leader · leader · English

leader · rank #1,195 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,195
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lady

Nearest frequency peer: lady (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “leader”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “leader” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

leader vs lear
67% similar
leader vs leer
67% similar
leader vs leave
67% similar

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

Key facts for leader
PropertyValue
Headwordleader
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈliː.də(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,195
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “leader” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).leader lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around leader (IPA /ˈliː.də(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,195 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 24 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for leader, with forms such as "elader", "laeder", and "leadder". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lear", "leer", "leave", 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 leder, ledere, from Old English lǣdere (“leader”), from Proto-West Germanic *laidijārī (“leader”), equivalent to lead + -er. Cognate with Scots ledar, leidar (“leader”), West Frisian lieder (“leader”), Dutch leider (“leader”), German Lei… The correct English form is leader, spelled L-E-A-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any person who leads or directs.
  2. 2
    Any person who leads or directs.
  3. 3
    Any person who leads or directs.
  4. 4
    Any person who leads or directs.
  5. 5
    Any person who leads or directs.
  6. 6
    Any person who leads or directs.
  7. 7
    Any person who leads or directs.
  8. 8
    An animal that leads.
  9. 9
    An animal that leads.
  10. 10
    An animal that leads.
  11. 11
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  12. 12
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  13. 13
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  14. 14
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  15. 15
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  16. 16
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  17. 17
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  18. 18
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  19. 19
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  20. 20
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  21. 21
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  22. 22
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  23. 23
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.
  24. 24
    Someone or something that leads or conducts.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In an era when political leaders promise deliverance from decline through America’s purported preeminence in scientific research, the news that science is in deep trouble in the United States has been as unwelcome as a diagnosis of leukemia following the loss of health insurance.
  2. Follow the leader.

Etymology

From Middle English leder, ledere, from Old English lǣdere (“leader”), from Proto-West Germanic *laidijārī (“leader”), equivalent to lead + -er. Cognate with Scots ledar, leidar (“leader”), West Frisian lieder (“leader”), Dutch leider (“leader”), German Leiter (“leader, conductor, manager”), Danish leder (“leader, manager”), Swedish ledare (“leader, conductor, director”), Icelandic leiðari (“leader, conductor”).

Antonyms

follower

This word in other languages

líder(Español)chef(Français)Anführer(Deutsch)chefe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elader
  • laeder
  • leadder
  • leaderr
  • leadre
  • leaedr
  • ledaer
  • lleader

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of leader - 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.

elader2laeder2leadder1leaderr1leadre2leaedr2ledaer2lleader1
Edit distance from "leader"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "leader"?
"leader" is spelled L-E-A-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈliː.də(ɹ)/.
What does "leader" mean?
As a noun, "leader" means: Any person who leads or directs.
What words are commonly confused with "leader"?
"leader" is commonly confused with "lear", "leer", "leave". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leader"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leader" is /ˈliː.də(ɹ)/. 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 "leader"?
From Middle English leder, ledere, from Old English lǣdere (“leader”), from Proto-West Germanic *laidijārī (“leader”), equivalent to lead + -er. Cognate with Scots ledar, leidar (“leader”), West Frisian lieder (“leader”), Dutch leider (“leader”), ... 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 "leader", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

letter#1,196nobody#1,200global#1,188German#1,187

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

centre8 variantsauthor8 variantsdegree8 variantsspend8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "leader". Here's where to go from here.

  • "leader" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "lear". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,195 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list