legacy

/ˈlɛɡəsi/

//ˈlɛɡəsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“legacy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,825. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,825
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will.

Corpus desk

Index EN-legacy · legacy · English

legacy · rank #3,825 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,825
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lands

Nearest frequency peer: lands (-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 “legacy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “legacy” 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).

legacy vs legal
67% similar
legacy vs lunacy
67% similar
legacy vs legally
71% similar

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

Key facts for legacy
PropertyValue
Headwordlegacy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛɡəsi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,825
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “legacy”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “lands” (#3,824), “log” (#3,826), “Matthew” (#3,827). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “legacy” is #3,825. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around legacy (IPA /ˈlɛɡəsi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,825 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for legacy, with forms such as "elgacy", "leagcy", and "legaccy". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "legal", "lunacy", "legally", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English legacie, from Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgātum. The correct English form is legacy, spelled L-E-G-A-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will.
  2. 2
    Something inherited from a predecessor or the past.
  3. 3
    The descendant of an alumnus, given preference in academic admissions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. John Muir left as his legacy an enduring spirit of respect for the environment.
  2. During the first year or so of British Railways, some of the simpler and more obvious inter-regional transfers of outlying sections were effected, such as those of the London, Tilbury & Southend Railway from the London Midland Region to the Eastern Region; the South Wales lines of the former L.M.S.R. to the Western Region; the Carlisle-Silloth branch (an…

Etymology

From Middle English legacie, from Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgātum.

This word in other languages

legado(Español)legs(Français)Vermächtnis(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elgacy
  • leagcy
  • legaccy
  • legacyy
  • legayc
  • legcay
  • leggacy
  • lgeacy
  • llegacy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of legacy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

elgacy2leagcy2legaccy1legacyy1legayc2legcay2leggacy1lgeacy2
Edit distance from "legacy"

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 "legacy"?
"legacy" is spelled L-E-G-A-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛɡəsi/.
What does "legacy" mean?
As a noun, "legacy" means: Money or property bequeathed to someone in a will.
What words are commonly confused with "legacy"?
"legacy" is commonly confused with "legal", "lunacy", "legally". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "legacy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "legacy" is /ˈlɛɡəsi/. 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 "legacy"?
From Middle English legacie, from Old French legacie and Medieval Latin lēgātia, from Latin lēgātum. 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 "legacy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kansas#3,822merely#3,828hunter#3,817honour#3,815

Similar misspelling depth

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

Matthew9 variantsGordon9 variantsregret9 variantsgenuine9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list