English Word Reference Free

lena

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "lena", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "lena" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "lena" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

Lena is aEnglishname. It means: A female given name from Ancient Greek. Pronounced /ˈlɛ.nə/. Often confused with LN and let.

Key facts for Lena
PropertyValue
HeadwordLena
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechName
IPA/ˈlɛ.nə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#12,630
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of Lena in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Lena is 4 letters long, classified as aname, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɛ.nə/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,630 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for Lena, with forms such as "elna", "lenna", and "llena". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LN", "let", "leo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena). The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөнэ (Ölüöne)… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is Lena, spelled L-E-N-A, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from Ancient Greek.
  2. 2
    A major river in Russia, flowing 2,734 miles from the mountains by the lake Baikal to the Arctic Ocean.
  3. 3
    A municipality in Asturias, Spain.
  4. 4
    A river in Trøndelag, Norway.
  5. 5
    A town in Toten, Norway.

Etymology

The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena). The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөнэ (Ölüöne). (Norwegian river): Probably related to Old Norse leir (“clay”) (see the references). (Town in Toten): From Old Norse lein.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: elna,lenna,llena,lnea

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for Lena

Misspelling Variants of "Lena"

elna4lenna5llena5lnea4
Misspelling Variants of "Lena"

Frequency rank: #12,630 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Lena"?
"Lena" is spelled L-E-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛ.nə/.
What does "Lena" mean?
As a name, "Lena" means: A female given name from Ancient Greek.
What words are commonly confused with "Lena"?
"Lena" is commonly confused with "LN", "let", "leo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Lena"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lena" is /ˈlɛ.nə/. 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 "Lena"?
The female name is from the Scandinavian, German and Russian pet form of Helena, Magdalena and Yelena (also spelled Elena). The river in Yakutia is from Russian Лена (Lena), from Evenki Елюенэ (Jeljujenə, “the Large River”). Compare to Yakut Өлүөн... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.