lemur

/ˈliːmə(ɹ)/

//ˈliːmə(ɹ)// noun

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

"lemur" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lemur” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,861. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,861
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any strepsirrhine primate of the superfamily Lemuroidea, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lemur · lemur · English

lemur · rank #48,861 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,861
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH leapfrog

Nearest frequency peer: leapfrog (-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 “lemur”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lemur” 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).

lemur vs lever
60% similar
lemur vs Lexus
40% similar
lemur vs leper
60% similar

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

Key facts for lemur
PropertyValue
Headwordlemur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈliːmə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#48,861
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lemur”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lemurlands 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 “leapfrog” (#48,860), “Leyton” (#48,862), “lav” (#48,859). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lemur” is #48,861. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around lemur (IPA /ˈliːmə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,861 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lemur, with forms such as "elmur", "lemmur", and "lemru". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "lever", "Lexus", "leper", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the re… The correct English form is lemur, spelled L-E-M-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any strepsirrhine primate of the superfamily Lemuroidea, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.
  2. 2
    Any of the genus Lemur, represented by the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta).
  3. 3
    A loris (Lemur tardigradus, now Loris tardigradus), predating the 10th edition of Systema Naturæ.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Lemurs are naturally very social," said Mukobi. "Wild lemurs live in big family groups, and different species do really well together. Plus, the new lemur habitat is quite large, so each family group can have their own space when they choose to."
  2. Tucker-Brown explained how lemurs—like much of the “stranded” flora and fauna of Madagascar—are effectively living fossils. Belonging to a primate group called prosimians, lemurs were evolutionarily superseded by monkeys on mainland Africa 35mn years ago and driven to near-extinction.

Etymology

From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements of the red slender loris. In 1758, Linnaeus added, among others, the ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) to the genus Lemur. All other species, including the red slender loris, were eventually moved to other genera. In time, the word became the colloquial name for all primates endemic to Madagascar.

This word in other languages

lémur(Español)lémur(Français)Lemur(Deutsch)lêmure(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elmur
  • lemmur
  • lemru
  • lemurr
  • leumr
  • llemur
  • lmeur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lemur - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

elmur2lemmur1lemru2lemurr1leumr2llemur1lmeur2
Edit distance from "lemur"

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 "lemur"?
"lemur" is spelled L-E-M-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈliːmə(ɹ)/.
What does "lemur" mean?
As a noun, "lemur" means: Any strepsirrhine primate of the superfamily Lemuroidea, native only to Madagascar and some surrounding islands.
What words are commonly confused with "lemur"?
"lemur" is commonly confused with "lever", "Lexus", "leper". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lemur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lemur" is /ˈliːmə(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 "lemur"?
From Latin lemurēs (“spirits of the dead”). The name was originally given to the red slender loris (then Lemur tardigradus) in 1754 by Carl Linnaeus. According to Linnaeus, the name was selected because of the nocturnal activity and slow movements... 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 "lemur", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

liken#48,864Lanza#48,855Laney#48,854knead#48,850

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Meath7 variantsIrfan7 variantsIDGAF7 variantsnarco7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list