Lester

/ˈlɛstɚ/

//ˈlɛstɚ// name

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

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

The verdict

“Lester” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,911. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,911
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname from Old English derived from the English place name Leicester.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lester · Lester · English

Lester · rank #11,911 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,911
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH laps

Nearest frequency peer: laps (-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 “Lester”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Lester” 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).

Lester vs loser
50% similar
Lester vs lever
50% similar
Lester vs liter
50% similar

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

Key facts for Lester
PropertyValue
HeadwordLester
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈlɛstɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,911
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Lester”

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).Lesterlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “laps” (#11,910), “manly” (#11,912), “Kuwait” (#11,909). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “Lester” is #11,911. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Lester (IPA /ˈlɛstɚ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #11,911 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Lester, with forms such as "elster", "lesetr", and "lesster". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "loser", "lever", "liter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: * As an English surname, from the placename Leicester. * Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from Lestre in Normandy, from Old French Lestra, from Medieval Latin Laxtra, perhaps from extera (“exterior (part of a property)”). * As an English and Sco… The correct English form is Lester, spelled L-E-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from Old English derived from the English place name Leicester.
  2. 2
    A male given name transferred from the surname, of 19th century and later usage.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:

Etymology

* As an English surname, from the placename Leicester. * Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from Lestre in Normandy, from Old French Lestra, from Medieval Latin Laxtra, perhaps from extera (“exterior (part of a property)”). * As an English and Scottish surname, variant of Lister. * Also as an English surname, variant of Laster. * As a Scottish and Irish surname, shortened from McLester.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elster
  • lesetr
  • lesster
  • lesterr
  • lestre
  • lestter
  • letser
  • llester
  • lseter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Lester - 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.

elster2lesetr2lesster1lesterr1lestre2lestter1letser2llester1
Edit distance from "Lester"

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 "Lester"?
"Lester" is spelled L-E-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛstɚ/.
What does "Lester" mean?
As a proper noun, "Lester" means: A surname from Old English derived from the English place name Leicester.
What words are commonly confused with "Lester"?
"Lester" is commonly confused with "loser", "lever", "liter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Lester"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lester" is /ˈlɛstɚ/. 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 "Lester"?
* As an English surname, from the placename Leicester. * Also as an English surname of Norman origin, from Lestre in Normandy, from Old French Lestra, from Medieval Latin Laxtra, perhaps from extera (“exterior (part of a property)”). * As an Engli... 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 "Lester", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kuwait#11,909Marvin#11,913Julius#11,906morale#11,917

Similar misspelling depth

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

immature9 variantspaints9 variantsforbid9 variantspeppers9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list