levy
/ˈlɛ.vi/
"levy" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“levy” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,954. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #8,954
- frequency rank, English
- 2,297
- “L” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property.
Corpus desk
Index EN-levy · levy · English
levy · rank #8,954 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #8,954
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,297
- PHOTO-FINISH lengthy
Nearest frequency peer: lengthy (-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 “levy”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- kirk
kirk
91,050 corpus weight
- lang
lang
91,049 corpus weight
- lengthy
lengthy
91,048 corpus weight
- levy
levy
91,047 corpus weight
- LP
LP
91,046 corpus weight
- manipulation
manipulation
91,045 corpus weight
What this shows “levy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | levy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈlɛ.vi/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #8,954 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “levy” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around levy (IPA /ˈlɛ.vi/), averb. Corpus frequency is #8,954 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for levy, with forms such as "elvy", "levvy", and "levyy". 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, "LV", "lex", "Liv", 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 Anglo-Norman leve, from Old French levee, from lever (“to raise”). The correct English form is levy, spelled L-E-V-Y.
Definition
- 1To impose (a tax or fine) to collect monies due, or to confiscate property.
- 2To raise or collect by assessment; to exact by authority.
- 3To draft someone into military service.
- 4To raise; to collect; said of troops, to form into an army by enrollment, conscription. etc.
- 5To wage war.
- 6To raise, as a siege.
- 7To erect, build, or set up; to make or construct; to raise or cast up.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how levy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
to levy a tax
In August, the company also announced that it would begin to levy fines on other vendors on its platform who over-package their products.
Etymology
From Anglo-Norman leve, from Old French levee, from lever (“to raise”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- elvy
- levvy
- levyy
- leyv
- llevy
- lvey
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of levy - 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.
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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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "levy", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).