leper

/ˈlɛpɚ/

//ˈlɛpɚ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“leper” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,540. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,540
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who has leprosy, a person suffering from Hansen's disease.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leper · leper · English

leper · rank #37,540 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,540
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Leica

Nearest frequency peer: Leica (-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 “leper”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “leper” 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).

leper vs Lupe
40% similar
leper vs lope
60% similar
leper vs level
60% similar

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

Key facts for leper
PropertyValue
Headwordleper
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛpɚ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#37,540
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leper”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).leperlands 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 “Leica” (#37,539), “levee” (#37,541), “layoff” (#37,538). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leper” is #37,540. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around leper (IPA /ˈlɛpɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,540 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for leper, with forms such as "elper", "leepr", and "leperr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lupe", "lope", "level", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lepre, leprosy, from Old French [Term?], from Latin leprae, lepra, from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra). The correct English form is leper, spelled L-E-P-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who has leprosy, a person suffering from Hansen's disease.
  2. 2
    Synonym of outcast: A person who is shunned, a pariah.

Etymology

From Middle English lepre, leprosy, from Old French [Term?], from Latin leprae, lepra, from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra).

This word in other languages

leproso(Español)léprosé(Français)Aussätziger(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elper
  • leepr
  • leperr
  • lepper
  • lepre
  • lleper
  • lpeer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elper2leepr2leperr1lepper1lepre2lleper1lpeer2
Edit distance from "leper"

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 "leper"?
"leper" is spelled L-E-P-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛpɚ/.
What does "leper" mean?
As a noun, "leper" means: A person who has leprosy, a person suffering from Hansen's disease.
What words are commonly confused with "leper"?
"leper" is commonly confused with "Lupe", "lope", "level". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "leper"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leper" is /ˈlɛpɚ/. 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 "leper"?
From Middle English lepre, leprosy, from Old French [Term?], from Latin leprae, lepra, from Ancient Greek λέπρα (lépra). 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 "leper", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Leica#37,539levee#37,541Lewin#37,542lurch#37,551

Similar misspelling depth

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

layoff7 variantsLovett7 variantsJinnah7 variantsjeeps7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list