libido

/lɪˈbiː.dəʊ/

//lɪˈbiː.dəʊ// noun

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

"libido" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“libido” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,863. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,863
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Sexual urges or drives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-libido · libido · English

libido · rank #26,863 · 8 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,863
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Leto

Nearest frequency peer: Leto (-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 “libido”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “libido” 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).

libido vs lido
67% similar
libido vs lipid
67% similar
libido vs livid
67% similar

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

Key facts for libido
PropertyValue
Headwordlibido
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪˈbiː.dəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,863
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “libido”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Leto” (#26,862), “Lina” (#26,864), “Leicestershire” (#26,861). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “libido” is #26,863. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around libido (IPA /lɪˈbiː.dəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,863 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for libido, with forms such as "ilbido", "lbiido", and "libbido". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "lido", "lipid", "livid", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin libīdō (“lust, desire”). Used originally in psychoanalytic contexts. The correct English form is libido, spelled L-I-B-I-D-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Sexual urges or drives.
  2. 2
    Drives or mental energies related to or based on sexual instincts but not necessarily sexual in and of themselves.
  3. 3
    Synonym of albedo in terms of a planet's, such as that of Mars, average surface spectral reflectivity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Good grief man, control your libido!
  2. For Freudians, libido means the desire to "unite and bind" with objects in the world.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin libīdō (“lust, desire”). Used originally in psychoanalytic contexts.

This word in other languages

libido(Español)libido(Français)Libido(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilbido
  • lbiido
  • libbido
  • libdio
  • libiddo
  • libiod
  • liibdo
  • llibido

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilbido2lbiido2libbido1libdio2libiddo1libiod2liibdo2llibido1
Edit distance from "libido"

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 "libido"?
"libido" is spelled L-I-B-I-D-O. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪˈbiː.dəʊ/.
What does "libido" mean?
As a noun, "libido" means: Sexual urges or drives.
What words are commonly confused with "libido"?
"libido" is commonly confused with "lido", "lipid", "livid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "libido"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "libido" is /lɪˈbiː.dəʊ/. 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 "libido"?
Learned borrowing from Latin libīdō (“lust, desire”). Used originally in psychoanalytic contexts. 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 "libido", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lehigh#26,860lambda#26,857Khalil#26,856Maddox#26,872

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Jillian8 variantsIsmail8 variantsimpala8 variantsHwang8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list