leisure

/ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/

//ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“leisure” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,056. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,056
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Freedom provided by the cessation of activities.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leisure · leisure · English

leisure · rank #8,056 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,056
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lend

Nearest frequency peer: lend (+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 “leisure”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “leisure” 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).

leisure vs leisurely
78% similar
leisure vs lecture
71% similar

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

Key facts for leisure
PropertyValue
Headwordleisure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,056
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leisure”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).leisurelands 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 “lend” (#8,057), “Joshua” (#8,054), “joey” (#8,053). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leisure” is #8,056. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around leisure (IPA /ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,056 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 leisure, with forms such as "elisure", "leisrue", and "leissure". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "leisurely", "lecture", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English leyser, from Anglo-Norman leisir, variant of Old French loisir (“to enjoy oneself”) (Modern French loisir survives as a noun), substantive use of a verb, from Latin licēre (“be permitted”). Displaced native Old English ǣmetta. The correct English form is leisure, spelled L-E-I-S-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Freedom provided by the cessation of activities.
  2. 2
    Free time, time free from work or duties.
  3. 3
    Time at one's command, free from engagement; convenient opportunity; hence, convenience; ease.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The desire of leisure is much more natural than of business and care.
  2. Little had Mrs. Dashwood or her daughters imagined when they first came into Devonshire, that so many engagements would arise to occupy their time as shortly presented themselves, or that they should have such frequent invitations and such constant visitors as to leave them little leisure for serious employment.

Etymology

From Middle English leyser, from Anglo-Norman leisir, variant of Old French loisir (“to enjoy oneself”) (Modern French loisir survives as a noun), substantive use of a verb, from Latin licēre (“be permitted”). Displaced native Old English ǣmetta.

This word in other languages

ocio(Español)loisir(Français)Muße(Deutsch)ócio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elisure
  • leisrue
  • leissure
  • leisuer
  • leisurre
  • leiusre
  • lesiure
  • liesure
  • lleisure

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elisure2leisrue2leissure1leisuer2leisurre1leiusre2lesiure2liesure2
Edit distance from "leisure"

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 "leisure"?
"leisure" is spelled L-E-I-S-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/.
What does "leisure" mean?
As a noun, "leisure" means: Freedom provided by the cessation of activities.
What words are commonly confused with "leisure"?
"leisure" is commonly confused with "leisurely", "lecture". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leisure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leisure" is /ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/. 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 "leisure"?
From Middle English leyser, from Anglo-Norman leisir, variant of Old French loisir (“to enjoy oneself”) (Modern French loisir survives as a noun), substantive use of a verb, from Latin licēre (“be permitted”). Displaced native Old English ǣmetta. 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 "leisure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Jamaica#8,052luckily#8,061Oakland#8,070outline#8,071

Similar misspelling depth

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

garlic9 variantseducate9 variantsRomans9 variantsrunway9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list