lecture

/ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/

//ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə// noun

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

"lecture" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lecture” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,706. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,706
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lecture · lecture · English

lecture · rank #5,706 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,706
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lean

Nearest frequency peer: lean (-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 “lecture”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lecture” 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).

lecture vs leisure
71% similar
lecture vs lettuce
71% similar
lecture vs lectures
88% similar

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

Key facts for lecture
PropertyValue
Headwordlecture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,706
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lecture”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lean” (#5,705), “lakes” (#5,704), “logical” (#5,708). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lecture” is #5,706. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lecture (IPA /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,706 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lecture, with forms such as "elcture", "lceture", and "leccture". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "leisure", "lettuce", "lectures", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lecture, lectour, letture, letteur, lettur, lectury, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin lectura (“reading”), from Latin lectus, past participle of legō (“to read, recite”). The correct English form is lecture, spelled L-E-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group.
  2. 2
    A class that primarily consists of a (weekly or other regularly held) lecture (as in sense 1), usually at college or university.
  3. 3
    A berating or scolding, especially if lengthy, formal or given in a stern or angry manner.
  4. 4
    The act of reading.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. During class today the professor delivered an interesting lecture.
  2. The stories did not seem to me to touch life. […] They left me with the impression of a well-delivered stereopticon lecture, with characters about as life-like as the shadows on the screen, and whisking on and off, at the mercy of the operator.

Etymology

From Middle English lecture, lectour, letture, letteur, lettur, lectury, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin lectura (“reading”), from Latin lectus, past participle of legō (“to read, recite”).

This word in other languages

conferencia(Español)conférence(Français)Vorlesung(Deutsch)conferência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elcture
  • lceture
  • leccture
  • lectrue
  • lectture
  • lectuer
  • lecturre
  • lecutre
  • letcure
  • llecture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lecture - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

elcture2lceture2leccture1lectrue2lectture1lectuer2lecturre1lecutre2
Edit distance from "lecture"

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 "lecture"?
"lecture" is spelled L-E-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/.
What does "lecture" mean?
As a noun, "lecture" means: A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group.
What words are commonly confused with "lecture"?
"lecture" is commonly confused with "leisure", "lettuce", "lectures". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lecture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lecture" is /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/. 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 "lecture"?
From Middle English lecture, lectour, letture, letteur, lettur, lectury, from Medieval Latin or Late Latin lectura (“reading”), from Latin lectus, past participle of legō (“to read, recite”). 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 "lecture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

logical#5,708justify#5,702missile#5,712muscles#5,714

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

fifteen10 variantsstaring10 variantssticks10 variantsaddresses10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list