ledger

/ˈlɛd͡ʒə/

//ˈlɛd͡ʒə// noun

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

"ledger" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ledger” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,208. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,208
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A book for keeping notes; a record book, a register.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ledger · ledger · English

ledger · rank #15,208 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,208
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH LIGA

Nearest frequency peer: LIGA (+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 “ledger”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ledger” 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).

ledger vs leer
67% similar
ledger vs lodge
67% similar
ledger vs lever
67% similar

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

Key facts for ledger
PropertyValue
Headwordledger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛd͡ʒə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,208
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ledger”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “LIGA” (#15,209), “lapse” (#15,206), “loaf” (#15,210). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “ledger” is #15,208. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around ledger (IPA /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,208 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ledger, with forms such as "eldger", "ldeger", and "leddger". 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, "leer", "lodge", "lever", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English liggere, ligger, leger (“large breviary; beam, plank; dweller, inhabitant”), from liggen, leggen, variants of līen (“to lie down; to bow, kneel, prostrate; to die; to be located (somewhere); to remain in place, stay”), from Old English l… The correct English form is ledger, spelled L-E-D-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A book for keeping notes; a record book, a register.
  2. 2
    A book or other scheme for keeping accounting records.
  3. 3
    A book or other scheme for keeping accounting records.
  4. 4
    A collection of accounting entries consisting of credits and debits.
  5. 5
    A large, flat stone, especially one laid over a tomb.
  6. 6
    A board attached to a wall to provide support for attaching other structural elements (such as deck joists or roof rafters) to a building.
  7. 7
    Ellipsis of ledger bait (“fishing bait attached to a floating line fastened to the bank of a pond, stream, etc.”) or ledger line (“fishing line used with ledger bait for bottom fishing; ligger”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Our ledger has no entry for the human pain caused by war.
  2. My eyes kept glancing nervously to a spot on the side table just beyond the ring of light, where the ledgers containing the old church minutes were stacked.

Etymology

From Middle English liggere, ligger, leger (“large breviary; beam, plank; dweller, inhabitant”), from liggen, leggen, variants of līen (“to lie down; to bow, kneel, prostrate; to die; to be located (somewhere); to remain in place, stay”), from Old English liċġan (“to lie down; to be situated”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie down”). The word is cognate with Saterland Frisian Lägger (“floor board, joist, plank”), West Frisian lêger (“beam, plank”), Dutch legger (“daybook; layer”) (from leggen (“to lay”), liggen (“to lie down”)), and is related to English ledge, lie (“to be prostrate”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

libro mayor(Español)grand livre(Français)Notizbuch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eldger
  • ldeger
  • leddger
  • ledegr
  • ledgerr
  • ledgger
  • ledgre
  • legder
  • lledger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eldger2ldeger2leddger1ledegr2ledgerr1ledgger1ledgre2legder2
Edit distance from "ledger"

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 "ledger"?
"ledger" is spelled L-E-D-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/.
What does "ledger" mean?
As a noun, "ledger" means: A book for keeping notes; a record book, a register.
What words are commonly confused with "ledger"?
"ledger" is commonly confused with "leer", "lodge", "lever". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ledger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ledger" is /ˈlɛd͡ʒə/. 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 "ledger"?
From Middle English liggere, ligger, leger (“large breviary; beam, plank; dweller, inhabitant”), from liggen, leggen, variants of līen (“to lie down; to bow, kneel, prostrate; to die; to be located (somewhere); to remain in place, stay”), from Old... 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 "ledger", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lahore#15,205lodged#15,211myriad#15,225neatly#15,229

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Isabella9 variantsplunge9 variantsRamsay9 variantssanity9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list