levee

/ˈlɛvi/

//ˈlɛvi// noun

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

"levee" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“levee” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,541. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,541
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-levee · levee · English

levee · rank #37,541 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,541
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH leper

Nearest frequency peer: leper (-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 “levee”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “levee” 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).

levee vs love
60% similar
levee vs live
60% similar
levee vs levy
60% similar

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

Key facts for levee
PropertyValue
Headwordlevee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɛvi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#37,541
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “levee”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “leper” (#37,540), “Lewin” (#37,542), “Leica” (#37,539). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “levee” is #37,541. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around levee (IPA /ˈlɛvi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,541 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for levee, with forms such as "elvee", "leeve", and "leve". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "love", "live", "levy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”). The correct English form is levee, spelled L-E-V-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.
  2. 2
    An embankment to prevent inundation; as, the levees along the Mississippi.
  3. 3
    The steep bank of a river.
  4. 4
    The border of an irrigated field.
  5. 5
    A pier or other landing place on a river.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The purchaser of a riparious estate under the words "front to the levee," does not acquire the alluvion or batture, when there is land susceptible of separate ownership beyond the levee.

Etymology

From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”).

Synonyms

dikefloodwall

This word in other languages

malecón(Español)digue(Français)Deich(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elvee
  • leeve
  • leve
  • levvee
  • llevee
  • lveee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elvee2leeve2leve1levvee1llevee1lveee2
Edit distance from "levee"

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 "levee"?
"levee" is spelled L-E-V-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɛvi/.
What does "levee" mean?
As a noun, "levee" means: An elevated ridge of deposited sediment on the banks of a river, formed by the river's overflow at times of high discharge.
What words are commonly confused with "levee"?
"levee" is commonly confused with "love", "live", "levy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "levee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "levee" is /ˈlɛvi/. 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 "levee"?
From French levée, from lever (“to raise, rise”). 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 "levee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

leper#37,540Lewin#37,542Leica#37,539lurch#37,551

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Mattie6 variantshares6 variantsglyn6 variantsEuler6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list