leviathan
/lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/
"leviathan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“leviathan” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #25,820 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #25,820
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | leviathan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #25,820 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “leviathan” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for leviathan is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #25,820 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A vast sea monster of tremendous strength, either imaginary or real, described as the most dangerous and powerful creature in the ocean.
- 2A thing which is monstrously great in size, strength, etc. (especially a ship); also, a person with great power or wealth.
- 3Sometimes in the form Leviathan: based on the writings of Thomas Hobbes, the political state, especially a domineering and totalitarian one.
- 4Synonym of Satan (“the supreme evil spirit in the Abrahamic religions, who tempts humanity into sin; the Devil”).
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
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.
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
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Using “leviathan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-E-V-I-A-T-H-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /lɪˈvaɪəθn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.