lentil

/ˈlɛntəl/

//ˈlɛntəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lentil” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,753. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,753
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible, lens-shaped seeds within flattened pods.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lentil · lentil · English

lentil · rank #43,753 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,753
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH leeward

Nearest frequency peer: leeward (-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 “lentil”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lentil” 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).

lentil vs lent
67% similar
lentil vs Lenin
50% similar

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

Key facts for lentil
PropertyValue
Headwordlentil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛntəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#43,753
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lentil”

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).lentillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “leeward” (#43,752), “Lepage” (#43,754), “Lewisham” (#43,755). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lentil” is #43,753. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lentil (IPA /ˈlɛntəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,753 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 lentil, with forms such as "elntil", "lenitl", and "lenntil". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lent", "Lenin", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lentile, from Old French lentille from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns, from a pre-Indo-European substrate source shared by German Linse, Ancient Greek λάθυρος (láthuros) and Lithuanian lęšis. Doublet of lenticula. The correct English form is lentil, spelled L-E-N-T-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible, lens-shaped seeds within flattened pods.
  2. 2
    The seed of these plants, used as food.
  3. 3
    A small chocolate candy in an edible shell.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. make a lentil stew
  2. a lentil salad

Etymology

From Middle English lentile, from Old French lentille from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns, from a pre-Indo-European substrate source shared by German Linse, Ancient Greek λάθυρος (láthuros) and Lithuanian lęšis. Doublet of lenticula.

This word in other languages

lenteja(Español)lentille(Français)Linse(Deutsch)lentilha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elntil
  • lenitl
  • lenntil
  • lentill
  • lentli
  • lenttil
  • letnil
  • llentil
  • lnetil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elntil2lenitl2lenntil1lentill1lentli2lenttil1letnil2llentil1
Edit distance from "lentil"

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 "lentil"?
"lentil" is spelled L-E-N-T-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛntəl/.
What does "lentil" mean?
As a noun, "lentil" means: Any of several plants of the genus Lens, especially Lens culinaris, from southwest Asia, that have edible, lens-shaped seeds within flattened pods.
What words are commonly confused with "lentil"?
"lentil" is commonly confused with "lent", "Lenin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lentil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lentil" is /ˈlɛntəl/. 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 "lentil"?
From Middle English lentile, from Old French lentille from Latin lenticula, diminutive of lēns, from a pre-Indo-European substrate source shared by German Linse, Ancient Greek λάθυρος (láthuros) and Lithuanian lęšis. Doublet of lenticula. 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 "lentil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Lepage#43,754Lavrov#43,749Liston#43,759Kronos#43,742

Similar misspelling depth

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

Lavinia9 variantsMalden9 variantsmarten9 variantsmateria9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list