lemming

/lɛm.ɪŋ/

//lɛm.ɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lemming” is uncommon English (frequency #64,494 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,494
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small arctic and subarctic rodent of the tribes Lemmini, Dicrostonychini and Lagurini.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lemming · lemming · English

lemming · rank #64,494 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,494
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 16,425
  • PHOTO-FINISH lek

Nearest frequency peer: lek (-2 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “lemming”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lemming” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for lemming
PropertyValue
Headwordlemming
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɛm.ɪŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#64,494
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lemming” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lemming is uncommon English at frequency #64,494 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /lɛm.ɪŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for lemming in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together. The correct English form is lemming, spelled L-E-M-M-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small arctic and subarctic rodent of the tribes Lemmini, Dicrostonychini and Lagurini.
  2. 2
    Any member of a group given to conformity or groupthink, especially a group poised to follow a leader off a cliff.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The well-known lemmings, in severe winters, at long intervals, move down from the mountains of Scandinavia in immense numbers, crossing lakes and rivers, eating their way through haystacks, and surmounting every obstacle till they reach the sea, whence very few return.
  2. Lemmings are strongly cohesive, but could be, in organisational terms, highly destructive for the business.

Etymology

From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths together.

Synonyms

sable mouse

This word in other languages

lemming(Español)lemming(Français)Lemming(Deutsch)lêmingue(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lemming"?
"lemming" is spelled L-E-M-M-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /lɛm.ɪŋ/.
What does "lemming" mean?
As a noun, "lemming" means: A small arctic and subarctic rodent of the tribes Lemmini, Dicrostonychini and Lagurini.
How do you pronounce "lemming"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lemming" is /lɛm.ɪŋ/. 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 "lemming"?
From Danish and Norwegian lemming, from Old Norse lómundr, læmingi, læmingr (“lemming”), perhaps from Sami luomek. Sense 2 derives from a longstanding myth that they exhibit so much herd mentality that populations jump off cliffs to their deaths t... 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 "lemming", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Limburg#64,497lampoon#64,487Lambing#64,485longish#64,503
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list