lieutenant

/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/

//lɛfˈtɛn.ənt// noun

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

"lieutenant" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lieutenant” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,376. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,376
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lieutenant · lieutenant · English

lieutenant · rank #3,376 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,376
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH legend

Nearest frequency peer: legend (-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 “lieutenant”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lieutenant” 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
Key facts for lieutenant
PropertyValue
Headwordlieutenant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#3,376
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lieutenant”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “legend” (#3,375), “mini” (#3,377), “Kelly” (#3,374). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lieutenant” is #3,376. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around lieutenant (IPA /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,376 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  2. 2
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  3. 3
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  4. 4
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  5. 5
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  6. 6
    The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
  7. 7
    A person who manages or executes the plans and directives of another, more senior person; a manager to their director.
  8. 8
    The second-in-command (2IC) of a group.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Mr. Scott immediately asked someone at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., to get Mr. Nadella, the chief executive, out of a meeting he was having with top lieutenants.

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.

Synonyms

Lt.LTlieutLieut.Lieut

This word in other languages

teniente(Español)lieutenant(Français)Leutnant(Deutsch)tenente(Português)

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.

ileutenant2leiutenant2lietuenant2lieuetnant2lieuteannt2lieutenannt1lieutenantt1lieutenatn2
Edit distance from "lieutenant"

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"?
"lieutenant" is spelled L-I-E-U-T-E-N-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/.
What does "lieutenant" mean?
As a noun, "lieutenant" means: The lowest junior commissioned officer rank(s) in many military forces, often Army and Marines.
What are common misspellings of "lieutenant"?
Common misspellings include "ileutenant", "leiutenant", "lietuenant", "lieuetnant", "lieuteannt". The correct spelling is "lieutenant".
How do you pronounce "lieutenant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lieutenant" is /lɛfˈtɛn.ənt/. 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 "lieutenant"?
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. 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 "lieutenant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

components#3,355commitment#3,416containing#3,418afterwards#3,463

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

successfully14 variantscommissioner14 variantsconfident14 variantsscheduled14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list