libel
/ˈlaɪbəl/
"libel" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“libel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,606. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #18,606
- frequency rank, English
- 2,297
- “L” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-libel · libel · English
libel · rank #18,606 · 7 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-MID #18,606
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,297
- PHOTO-FINISH latch
Nearest frequency peer: latch (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “libel”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- Laos
Laos
81,397 corpus weight
- latch
latch
81,396 corpus weight
- libel
libel
81,395 corpus weight
- ligament
ligament
81,394 corpus weight
- likeness
likeness
81,393 corpus weight
- Lizzie
Lizzie
81,392 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “libel” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | libel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlaɪbəl/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #18,606 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “libel” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around libel (IPA /ˈlaɪbəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,606 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for libel, with forms such as "ilbel", "lbiel", and "libbel". 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, "lie", "lil", "like", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English libel, from Old French libelle, from Latin libellus (“petition”, literally “booklet”). Doublet of libelle. The correct English form is libel, spelled L-I-B-E-L.
Definition
- 1A written or pictorial false statement which unjustly seeks to damage someone's reputation.
- 2The act or tort of displaying such a statement publicly.
- 3Any defamatory writing; a lampoon; a satire.
- 4A written declaration or statement by the plaintiff of their cause of action, and of the relief they seek.
- 5A brief writing of any kind, especially a declaration, bill, certificate, request, supplication, etc.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how libel appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
These provisions of law being in force, the steamer Rio Grande, owned, as was alleged, by persons in Mexico, being in the port of Mobile, in the Southern District of Alabama, certain materialmen, on the 26th of November, 1867, filed separate libels against her in the district court for the said district.
a libel of forsaking [divorcement]
Etymology
From Middle English libel, from Old French libelle, from Latin libellus (“petition”, literally “booklet”). Doublet of libelle.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ilbel
- lbiel
- libbel
- libell
- lible
- liebl
- llibel
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of libel - 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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "libel", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).
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.