leftist

/ˈlɛf.tɪst/

//ˈlɛf.tɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“leftist” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,456. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,456
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who holds views associated with the political left.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leftist · leftist · English

leftist · rank #12,456 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #12,456
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH legitimacy

Nearest frequency peer: legitimacy (+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 “leftist”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “leftist” 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).

leftist vs lefties
71% similar

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

Key facts for leftist
PropertyValue
Headwordleftist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛf.tɪst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,456
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leftist”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).leftistlands 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 “legitimacy” (#12,457), “laurel” (#12,454), “LinkedIn” (#12,458). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leftist” is #12,456. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around leftist (IPA /ˈlɛf.tɪst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,456 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for leftist, with forms such as "elftist", "lefftist", and "lefitst". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lefties", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From left + -ist. The correct English form is leftist, spelled L-E-F-T-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who holds views associated with the political left.
  2. 2
    Someone who holds socialist or communist-leaning economic views, usually alongside progressive social views; an anticapitalist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The first major clash between the two groups occurred in Shih-ho-tzu on January 26, 1967, with the leftists admitting they had suffered a bloody defeat.

Etymology

From left + -ist.

This word in other languages

izquierdista(Español)Linker(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elftist
  • lefftist
  • lefitst
  • leftisst
  • leftistt
  • leftits
  • leftsit
  • lefttist
  • letfist
  • lfetist
  • lleftist

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of leftist - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

elftist2lefftist1lefitst2leftisst1leftistt1leftits2leftsit2lefttist1
Edit distance from "leftist"

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 "leftist"?
"leftist" is spelled L-E-F-T-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛf.tɪst/.
What does "leftist" mean?
As a noun, "leftist" means: A person who holds views associated with the political left.
What words are commonly confused with "leftist"?
"leftist" is commonly confused with "lefties". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leftist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leftist" is /ˈlɛf.tɪst/. 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 "leftist"?
From left + -ist. 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 "leftist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

morally#12,462inspect#12,445paradox#12,471Harriet#12,435

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

maximize11 variantsinactive11 variantsperiodic11 variantsportray11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list