lieutenant
/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/
"lieutenant" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lieutenant” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,376 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #3,376
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lieutenant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #3,376 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lieutenant” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lieutenant is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,376 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for lieutenant, with forms such as "ileutenant", "leiutenant", and "lietuenant". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens. The correct English form is lieutenant, spelled L-I-E-U-T-E-N-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 2The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 3The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 4The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 5The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 6The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
- 7A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director.
- 8The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.
Etymology
From Middle English lieutenant, lieftenaunt, from Anglo-Norman lieutenant, lyutenaunt, leu tenant, leu tenaunt (“deputy, lieutenant”), from Old French lieu (“place”) + tenant (“holder”). Doublet of locum tenens.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ileutenant,leiutenant,lietuenant,lieuetnant,lieuteannt,lieutenannt,lieutenantt,lieutenatn,lieutennant,lieutennat,lieutneant,lieuttenant,liuetenant,llieutenant
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lieutenant - 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
How do you spell "lieutenant"?
What does "lieutenant" mean?
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Using “lieutenant”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-I-E-U-T-E-N-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/ (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.