# leather

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈlɛðə/ · frequency rank #3,957

## Definitions
1. A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing; often denotes leather from cattle when no qualifier specifies otherwise.
2. A piece of the above used for polishing.
3. A cricket ball or football.
4. clothing made from the skin of animals, often worn by motorcycle riders.
5. A good defensive play
6. A punch.
7. The skin.
8. Clipping of fruit leather.

## Etymology
From Middle English lether, from Old English leþer (“leather”), from Proto-West Germanic *leþr, from Proto-Germanic *leþrą (“leather”), possibly borrowed from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitrom, *letros, from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥tro-.
Cognate with West Frisian leare (“leather”), Low German Leder (“leather”), Dutch leder, leer (“leather”), German Leder (“leather”), Danish læder (“leather”), Swedish läder (“leather”), Icelandic leður (“leather”).

## Easily confused with
- **letter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-letter)
- **Luther** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-luther)
- **Lester** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-lester)
- **loathe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-loathe)
- **loathed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-loathed)
- **leathery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leather-vs-leathery)
- **later** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/later-vs-leather)
- **lathe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lathe-vs-leather)
- **leader** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leader-vs-leather)
- **latter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/latter-vs-leather)
- **leaner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leaner-vs-leather)
- **lather** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lather-vs-leather)
- **leaker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/leaker-vs-leather)
- **learner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/learner-vs-leather)

## Common misspellings (10)
`elather`, `laether`, `leahter`, `leatehr`, `leatherr`, `leathher`, `leathre`, `leatther`, `letaher`, `lleather`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/leather