leaky

/ˈliːki/

//ˈliːki// adj

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

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

The verdict

“leaky” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,859. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,859
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having leaks; not fully sealed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leaky · leaky · English

leaky · rank #26,859 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,859
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lehigh

Nearest frequency peer: Lehigh (+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 “leaky”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “leaky” 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).

leaky vs ley
60% similar
leaky vs lean
60% similar
leaky vs leap
60% similar

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

Key facts for leaky
PropertyValue
Headwordleaky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈliːki/
Letters5
Frequency rank#26,859
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leaky”

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).leakylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Lehigh” (#26,860), “lambda” (#26,857), “Leicestershire” (#26,861). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leaky” is #26,859. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around leaky (IPA /ˈliːki/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,859 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for leaky, with forms such as "elaky", "laeky", and "leakky". 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, "ley", "lean", "leap", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Likely a normalisation ( + -y) of earlier leak, leake, leke (“leaky”, adjective), from Middle English leke (“leaky”), from Old English hlec, *lec (“having cracks or rents; leaky”), from Proto-Germanic *lekaz (“leaking; leaky”). By surface analysis, leak + -… The correct English form is leaky, spelled L-E-A-K-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having leaks; not fully sealed.
  2. 2
    Tending to leak secrets or information.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The leaky bucket dripped only one drop at a time, but by the time I got back to the house it was half empty.
  2. The ceiling was so leaky that someone had to fix it.

Etymology

Likely a normalisation ( + -y) of earlier leak, leake, leke (“leaky”, adjective), from Middle English leke (“leaky”), from Old English hlec, *lec (“having cracks or rents; leaky”), from Proto-Germanic *lekaz (“leaking; leaky”). By surface analysis, leak + -y. Cognate with Scots lek, leck (“leaky”), Saterland Frisian läk (“leaky”), Dutch lek (“leaky”), German Low German leck (“leaky”), German leck (“leaky”), Swedish läck (“leaky”), Icelandic lekur (“leaky”).

This word in other languages

permeable(Español)percé(Français)undicht(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elaky
  • laeky
  • leakky
  • leakyy
  • leayk
  • lekay
  • lleaky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elaky2laeky2leakky1leakyy1leayk2lekay2lleaky1
Edit distance from "leaky"

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 "leaky"?
"leaky" is spelled L-E-A-K-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈliːki/.
What does "leaky" mean?
As an adjective, "leaky" means: Having leaks; not fully sealed.
What words are commonly confused with "leaky"?
"leaky" is commonly confused with "ley", "lean", "leap". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leaky"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leaky" is /ˈliːki/. 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 "leaky"?
Likely a normalisation ( + -y) of earlier leak, leake, leke (“leaky”, adjective), from Middle English leke (“leaky”), from Old English hlec, *lec (“having cracks or rents; leaky”), from Proto-Germanic *lekaz (“leaking; leaky”). By surface analysis... 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 "leaky", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Linus#26,866Lizzy#26,867Lorna#26,868Janis#26,848

Similar misspelling depth

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

lynx7 variantsMaddox7 variantsMatic7 variantsIdris7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list