legend

/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/

//ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“legend” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,375. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,375
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).

Corpus desk

Index EN-legend · legend · English

legend · rank #3,375 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,375
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kelly

Nearest frequency peer: Kelly (-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 “legend”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “legend” 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).

legend vs lend
67% similar
legend vs leger
67% similar
legend vs legged
67% similar

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

Key facts for legend
PropertyValue
Headwordlegend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,375
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “legend”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).legendlands 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 “Kelly” (#3,374), “lieutenant” (#3,376), “Jimmy” (#3,373). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “legend” is #3,375. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around legend (IPA /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,375 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for legend, with forms such as "elgend", "leegnd", and "legedn". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "lend", "leger", "legged", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda (“a legend, story, especially the lives of the saints”), from Latin legenda (“things which ought to be read”), from lego (“to read”). The correct English form is legend, spelled L-E-G-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
  2. 2
    An unrealistic story depicting past events.
  3. 3
    An unrealistic story depicting past events.
  4. 4
    An unrealistic story depicting past events.
  5. 5
    An unrealistic story depicting past events.
  6. 6
    Such stories considered collectively; unverified traditional tales.
  7. 7
    A person related to a legend or legends.
  8. 8
    A person related to a legend or legends.
  9. 9
    A person related to a legend or legends.
  10. 10
    A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.
  11. 11
    An inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.
  12. 12
    A musical composition set to a poetical story.
  13. 13
    The design and specification of a vessel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As a child she had nothing to read but the legends of early Christian martyrs.
  2. The legend of Troy was discovered to have a historical basis.

Etymology

From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda (“a legend, story, especially the lives of the saints”), from Latin legenda (“things which ought to be read”), from lego (“to read”).

This word in other languages

leyenda(Español)légende(Français)Legende(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elgend
  • leegnd
  • legedn
  • legendd
  • legennd
  • leggend
  • legned
  • lgeend
  • llegend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of legend - 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.

elgend2leegnd2legedn2legendd1legennd1leggend1legned2lgeend2
Edit distance from "legend"

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 "legend"?
"legend" is spelled L-E-G-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/.
What does "legend" mean?
As a noun, "legend" means: The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
What words are commonly confused with "legend"?
"legend" is commonly confused with "lend", "leger", "legged". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "legend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "legend" is /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/. 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 "legend"?
From Middle English legende, from Old French legende, from Medieval Latin legenda (“a legend, story, especially the lives of the saints”), from Latin legenda (“things which ought to be read”), from lego (“to read”). 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 "legend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

muscle#3,379hearts#3,367Harris#3,366deeply#3,358

Similar misspelling depth

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

Illinois9 variantspassion9 variantssettled9 variantsshadow9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list