leave alone

/liːv əˈləʊn/

//liːv əˈləʊn// verb

"leave-alone" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“leave alone” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To stop bothering (a person).

Key facts for leave alone
PropertyValue
Headwordleave alone
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/liːv əˈləʊn/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “leave alone” sits in English frequency

leave alone falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for leave alone is 11 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /liːv əˈləʊn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

leave alone doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is leave alone, spelled L-E-A-V-E- -A-L-O-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stop bothering (a person).
  2. 2
    To desist or refrain from involvement with.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "leave alone"?
"leave alone" is spelled L-E-A-V-E- -A-L-O-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /liːv əˈləʊn/.
What does "leave alone" mean?
As a verb, "leave alone" means: To stop bothering (a person).
How do you pronounce "leave alone"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leave alone" is /liːv əˈləʊn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "leave alone" come from?
"leave alone" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “leave alone”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-E-A-V-E- -A-L-O-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /liːv əˈləʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list