# lethal

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈliː.θəl/ · frequency rank #8,813

## Definitions
1. Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin lētālis (“deadly, mortal, fatal”), improperly written lēthālis, from lētum (“death”), improperly written as lēthum, from a supposed connection with Ancient Greek λήθη (lḗthē, “oblivion, forgetfulness”).

## Easily confused with
- **legal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/legal-vs-lethal)
- **Latham** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/latham-vs-lethal)

## Common misspellings (9)
`elthal`, `lehtal`, `letahl`, `lethall`, `lethhal`, `lethla`, `letthal`, `llethal`, `ltehal`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/lethal