leprous
/ˈlɛpɹəs/
"leprous" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“leprous” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or relating to one of the diseases known as leprosy.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | leprous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈlɛpɹəs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “leprous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for leprous is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɛpɹəs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for leprous in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English leprous (“having leprosy or a skin disease with symptoms like leprosy; (alchemy) of metals or minerals: impure; a leper”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman leprous, lepros [and other forms], Middle French lepros, lepreux, and Old Fren… The correct English form is leprous, spelled L-E-P-R-O-U-S.
Definition
- 1Of or relating to one of the diseases known as leprosy.
- 2Infected with one of the diseases known as leprosy.
- 3Similar to leprosy or its symptoms.
- 4Having the appearance of the skin of one infected with leprosy; flaking, peeling, scabby, scurfy.
- 5Immoral, or corrupted or tainted in some manner; also, ostracized, shunned.
- 6Of gold or other metals: contaminated with other substances; impure.
- 7Synonym of leprose (“covered with thin scurfy scales, scaly-looking”).
- 8Causing leprosy or a disease resembling it.
Etymology
From Middle English leprous (“having leprosy or a skin disease with symptoms like leprosy; (alchemy) of metals or minerals: impure; a leper”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman leprous, lepros [and other forms], Middle French lepros, lepreux, and Old French leprous, lepros (“having leprosy; a leper”) (modern French lépreux), and from their etymon Late Latin leprosus (“having leprosy; (alchemy) of metals: impure; a leper”), from Latin lepra (“leprosy”) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of; overly; prone to’ forming adjectives from nouns). Lepra is derived from Ancient Greek λέπρᾱ (léprā, “leprosy”), from λεπῐ́ς (lepĭ́s, “flake, scale; epithelial debris”) (perhaps from λέπω (lépō, “to peel, strip off a husk or rind”) + -ῐς (-ĭs, suffix forming feminine nouns)) + -ᾱ (-ā, suffix forming action nouns from verbs).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "leprous"?
What does "leprous" mean?
How do you pronounce "leprous"?
What is the origin of the word "leprous"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “leprous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-E-P-R-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɛpɹəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.