leatherette

/ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt/

//ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt// noun

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

"leatherette" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“leatherette” is uncommon English (frequency #95,066 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,066
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of fabric, often plastic, made to imitate the appearance of leather.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leatherette · leatherette · English

leatherette · rank #95,066 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,066
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH laye

Nearest frequency peer: laye (-3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “leatherette”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “leatherette” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for leatherette
PropertyValue
Headwordleatherette
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#95,066
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “leatherette” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “laye” (#95,063), “Ledyard” (#95,069), “lassi” (#95,061). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leatherette” is #95,066. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

leatherette is uncommon English at frequency #95,066 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A type of fabric, often plastic, made to imitate the appearance of leather.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for leatherette, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From leather + -ette (suffix forming nouns meaning an imitation or substitute of something); originally a trademark that has since been genericized. The correct English form is leatherette, spelled L-E-A-T-H-E-R-E-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of fabric, often plastic, made to imitate the appearance of leather.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many attempts have been made to supply a material to take the place of leather on cheap books, but hitherto nothing has been quite successful. [...] Such a material has apparently appeared in the form of "Leatherette," which is a kind of felted paper, very tough, the same colour throughout, and which may be grained to imitate leather; indeed, the imitatio…
  2. Material.—A rather stiff quality of jute board or tar board, similar to that used by bookbinders. Straw board is not serviceable, being too brittle. Also leatherette for covering and some figured paper for lining. Also some muslin or sateen for hinges. This should match the leatherette as nearly as possible in color. (Leatherette is an imitation leather,…

Etymology

From leather + -ette (suffix forming nouns meaning an imitation or substitute of something); originally a trademark that has since been genericized.

This word in other languages

skaï(Français)Kunstleder(Deutsch)

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 "leatherette"?
"leatherette" is spelled L-E-A-T-H-E-R-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt/.
What does "leatherette" mean?
As a noun, "leatherette" means: A type of fabric, often plastic, made to imitate the appearance of leather.
How do you pronounce "leatherette"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leatherette" is /ˌlɛðəˈɹɛt/. 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 "leatherette"?
From leather + -ette (suffix forming nouns meaning an imitation or substitute of something); originally a trademark that has since been genericized. 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 "leatherette", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

labradorite#95,055Machynlleth#95,097interpolate#94,997illusionary#94,984

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list