lethargic

/ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/

//ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk// adj

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

"lethargic" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lethargic” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,015. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,015
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sluggish, slow.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lethargic · lethargic · English

lethargic · rank #38,015 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #38,015
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Laramie

Nearest frequency peer: Laramie (-2 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 “lethargic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lethargic” 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).

lethargic vs lethargy
78% similar

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

Key facts for lethargic
PropertyValue
Headwordlethargic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#38,015
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lethargic”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lethargiclands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Laramie” (#38,013), “liberator” (#38,017), “lapis” (#38,012). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lethargic” is #38,015. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around lethargic (IPA /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #38,015 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for lethargic, with forms such as "elthargic", "lehtargic", and "letahrgic". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lethargy", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ληθαργικός (lēthargikós), from λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful, lethargic”), from λήθη (lḗthē, “a forgetting, forgetfulness”) (from which Lethe (“river in Hades”)) + ἀργός (argós, “not working”). By surface analysis, let… The correct English form is lethargic, spelled L-E-T-H-A-R-G-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sluggish, slow.
  2. 2
    Indifferent, apathetic.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [That cat] hasn't caught a mouse since he was a slip of a kitten. Except when eating, he does nothing but sleep. Lethargic is the word that springs to the lips. If you cast an eye on him, you will see that he's asleep now.
  2. She was, in fact, constitutionally impervious to statistics and preferred to study the be-headphoned group of fifteen or so lethargic wanderers who were taking even less notice of the remorseless squawkings than she was.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ληθαργικός (lēthargikós), from λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful, lethargic”), from λήθη (lḗthē, “a forgetting, forgetfulness”) (from which Lethe (“river in Hades”)) + ἀργός (argós, “not working”). By surface analysis, lethargy + -ic.

This word in other languages

tardo(Español)mollasson(Français)träge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elthargic
  • lehtargic
  • letahrgic
  • lethagric
  • lethargci
  • letharggic
  • lethargicc
  • letharigc
  • letharrgic
  • lethhargic
  • lethragic
  • letthargic
  • llethargic
  • ltehargic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elthargic2lehtargic2letahrgic2lethagric2lethargci2letharggic1lethargicc1letharigc2
Edit distance from "lethargic"

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 "lethargic"?
"lethargic" is spelled L-E-T-H-A-R-G-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/.
What does "lethargic" mean?
As an adjective, "lethargic" means: Sluggish, slow.
What words are commonly confused with "lethargic"?
"lethargic" is commonly confused with "lethargy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lethargic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lethargic" is /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/. 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 "lethargic"?
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ληθαργικός (lēthargikós), from λήθαργος (lḗthargos, “forgetful, lethargic”), from λήθη (lḗthē, “a forgetting, forgetfulness”) (from which Lethe (“river in Hades”)) + ἀργός (argós, “not working”). By surface ana... 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 "lethargic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

liberator#38,017knockdown#38,006loveliest#38,026kickstart#38,002

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Martinique14 variantshorseshit14 variantshomologous14 variantsmultiplex14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list