leviathan

/lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/

//lɪˈvaɪəθn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“leviathan” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,820. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,820
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.

Corpus desk

Index EN-leviathan · leviathan · English

leviathan · rank #25,820 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,820
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Leung

Nearest frequency peer: Leung (-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 “leviathan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “leviathan” 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
Key facts for leviathan
PropertyValue
Headwordleviathan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,820
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “leviathan”

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).leviathanlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Leung” (#25,819), “leaderboard” (#25,818), “lis” (#25,822). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “leviathan” is #25,820. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around leviathan (IPA /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,820 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for leviathan, with forms such as "elviathan", "leivathan", and "levaithan". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English leviathan, levyathan, levyethan, from Late Latin leviathan, a transliteration of Biblical Hebrew לִוְיָתָן (liwyāṯān), possibly from לִוְיָה (liwyâ, “garland, wreath”) + ־תָּן (-tān, suffix forming agent nouns), liter… The correct English form is leviathan, spelled L-E-V-I-A-T-H-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.
  2. 2
    A thing which is monstrously great in size, strength, etc. (especially a ship); also, a person with great power or wealth.
  3. 3
    Sometimes in the form Leviathan: based on the writings of Thomas Hobbes, the political state, especially a domineering and totalitarian one.
  4. 4
    Synonym of Satan (“the supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So is this greate and wyde ſee [sea] alſo, wherin are thinges crepinge innumerable, both ſmall and greate beaſtes. There go the ſhippes ouer, and there is that Leuiathan, whom thou haſt made, to take his paſtyme therin.
  2. Euen ſo do I thinke them no trewe Chryſtian men that do not reioyce with the Angels of heauen for the deliuerie of theſe owre brootherne, owre fleſſhe, and owre bones, from the handes of owre commune enemie the oulde ſerpente who hath ſo longe had them in hys poſſeſſion, vntyll the fulneſſe of the gentyles be accomplyſſhed accordynge to the time prefinite…

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English leviathan, levyathan, levyethan, from Late Latin leviathan, a transliteration of Biblical Hebrew לִוְיָתָן (liwyāṯān), possibly from לִוְיָה (liwyâ, “garland, wreath”) + ־תָּן (-tān, suffix forming agent nouns), literally “the tortuous one”. Noun sense 2.2 (“political state”) was coined by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) in his work Leviathan (1651): see the quotation. Noun sense 2.3 (“synonym of Satan”) refers to Isaiah 27:1 in the Bible (King James Version, spelling modernized): “In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea.” The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun.

This word in other languages

leviatán(Español)léviathan(Français)Leviathan(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • elviathan
  • leivathan
  • levaithan
  • leviahtan
  • leviatahn
  • leviathann
  • leviathhan
  • leviathna
  • leviatthan
  • levitahan
  • levviathan
  • lleviathan
  • lveiathan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

elviathan2leivathan2levaithan2leviahtan2leviatahn2leviathann1leviathhan1leviathna2
Edit distance from "leviathan"

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 "leviathan"?
"leviathan" is spelled L-E-V-I-A-T-H-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/.
What does "leviathan" mean?
As a noun, "leviathan" means: A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.
What are common misspellings of "leviathan"?
Common misspellings include "elviathan", "leivathan", "levaithan", "leviahtan", "leviatahn". The correct spelling is "leviathan".
How do you pronounce "leviathan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "leviathan" is /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/. 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 "leviathan"?
The noun is derived from Middle English leviathan, levyathan, levyethan, from Late Latin leviathan, a transliteration of Biblical Hebrew לִוְיָתָן (liwyāṯān), possibly from לִוְיָה (liwyâ, “garland, wreath”) + ־תָּן (-tān, suffix forming agent nou... 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 "leviathan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

laminated#25,817irritable#25,805interlude#25,799indulgent#25,795

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Mongolian13 variantsobstruct13 variantsoverriding13 variantsenrolment13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list