lesbian

/ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/

//ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən// adj

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

"lesbian" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lesbian” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,606. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,606
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lesbian · lesbian · English

lesbian · rank #5,606 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,606
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Jeremy

Nearest frequency peer: Jeremy (-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 “lesbian”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lesbian” 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).

lesbian vs lesion
71% similar

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

Key facts for lesbian
PropertyValue
Headwordlesbian
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,606
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lesbian”

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).lesbianlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Jeremy” (#5,605), “lovers” (#5,607), “ion” (#5,604). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lesbian” is #5,606. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lesbian (IPA /ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,606 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lesbian, with forms such as "elsbian", "lebsian", and "lesbain". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lesion", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lésbos) + Latin adjective suffix -iana; by reference to Sappho of Lesbos (whence also sapphist, sapphic), known for her sentimental poems about women. This sense of the word may have been borrowed from, or inf… The correct English form is lesbian, spelled L-E-S-B-I-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
  2. 2
    Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
  3. 3
    Between two or more women; homosexual, gay.
  4. 4
    Intended for lesbians.
  5. 5
    Alternative letter-case form of Lesbian (“of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lesbian fans of the show were rooting for Jane and Amanda to get together.
  2. a lesbian relationship / marriage / kiss

Etymology

From Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lésbos) + Latin adjective suffix -iana; by reference to Sappho of Lesbos (whence also sapphist, sapphic), known for her sentimental poems about women. This sense of the word may have been borrowed from, or influenced by, the German cognate lesbisch, where it is found in medical literature from the 1830s.

Synonyms

dykegayhomosexualdykegayhomosexual

This word in other languages

lesbiana(Español)lesbien(Français)lesbisch(Deutsch)lésbica(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elsbian
  • lebsian
  • lesbain
  • lesbbian
  • lesbiann
  • lesbina
  • lesiban
  • lessbian
  • llesbian
  • lsebian

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lesbian - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

elsbian2lebsian2lesbain2lesbbian1lesbiann1lesbina2lesiban2lessbian1
Edit distance from "lesbian"

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 "lesbian"?
"lesbian" is spelled L-E-S-B-I-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/.
What does "lesbian" mean?
As an adjective, "lesbian" means: Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
What words are commonly confused with "lesbian"?
"lesbian" is commonly confused with "lesion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lesbian"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lesbian" is /ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/. 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 "lesbian"?
From Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lésbos) + Latin adjective suffix -iana; by reference to Sappho of Lesbos (whence also sapphist, sapphic), known for her sentimental poems about women. This sense of the word may have been borrowed fr... 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 "lesbian", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

podcast#5,615elderly#5,593quietly#5,620Collins#5,585

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

grants10 variantsblacks10 variantsBelgium10 variantstorture10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list