letter

/ˈlɛtə/

//ˈlɛtə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“letter” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,196 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,196
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A symbol in an alphabet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

letter vs lever
67% similar
letter vs liter
67% similar
letter vs lotte
67% similar

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

Key facts for letter
PropertyValue
Headwordletter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛtə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,196
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “letter” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for letter is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɛtə/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,196 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for letter, with forms such as "eltter", "leter", and "letetr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lever", "liter", "lotte", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2. The correct English form is letter, spelled L-E-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A symbol in an alphabet.
  2. 2
    A written or printed communication, usually defined as longer and more formal than a note. (Sometimes specifically one that is on paper.)
  3. 3
    The literal meaning of something, as distinguished from its intended and remoter meaning (the spirit).
  4. 4
    Literature.
  5. 5
    A division unit of a piece of law marked by a letter of the alphabet.
  6. 6
    A size of paper, 8½ in × 11 in (215.9 mm × 279.4 mm).
  7. 7
    A size of paper, 215 mm × 280 mm.
  8. 8
    Clipping of varsity letter.
  9. 9
    A single type; type, collectively; a style of type.

Etymology

From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sense 2.

Synonyms

bookstaffltr

This word in other languages

letra(Español)lettre(Français)Buchstabe(Deutsch)letra(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eltter,leter,letetr,letterr,lettre,lletter,lteter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of letter - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

eltter2leter1letetr2letterr1lettre2lletter1lteter2
Edit distance from "letter"

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 "letter"?
"letter" is spelled L-E-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛtə/.
What does "letter" mean?
As a noun, "letter" means: A symbol in an alphabet.
What words are commonly confused with "letter"?
"letter" is commonly confused with "lever", "liter", "lotte". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "letter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "letter" is /ˈlɛtə/. 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 "letter"?
From Middle English letter, lettre, from Old French letre, from Latin littera (“letter of the alphabet"; in plural, "epistle”). Displaced Old English bōcstæf (literally “book staff”) in sense 1 and ǣrendġewrit (literally “message writing”) in sens... 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.

Using “letter”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-E-T-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlɛtə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lever” - see the side-by-side comparison. letter vs lever
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list