lifetime

/ˈlaɪf.taɪm/

//ˈlaɪf.taɪm// noun

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

"lifetime" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lifetime” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,701. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,701
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The duration of the life of someone or something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lifetime · lifetime · English

lifetime · rank #3,701 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,701
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lawyers

Nearest frequency peer: lawyers (-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 “lifetime”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lifetime” 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).

lifetime vs lifeline
75% similar
lifetime vs lifelike
75% similar

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

Key facts for lifetime
PropertyValue
Headwordlifetime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlaɪf.taɪm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,701
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lifetime”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).lifetimelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “lawyers” (#3,700), “liquid” (#3,702), “keys” (#3,699). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lifetime” is #3,701. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around lifetime (IPA /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,701 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for lifetime, with forms such as "ilfetime", "lfietime", and "lieftime". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lifeline", "lifelike", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lyftyme, equivalent to life + time. Cognate with Icelandic líftími (“lifetime”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Lieuwendstied, Dutch leeftijd and levenstijd, German Low German Levenstied, German Lebenszeit, Danish livstid, Swedish livstid. The correct English form is lifetime, spelled L-I-F-E-T-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The duration of the life of someone or something.
  2. 2
    A long period of time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a project that will take many human lifetimes to complete
  2. the operational lifetime of an aircraft component

Etymology

From Middle English lyftyme, equivalent to life + time. Cognate with Icelandic líftími (“lifetime”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Lieuwendstied, Dutch leeftijd and levenstijd, German Low German Levenstied, German Lebenszeit, Danish livstid, Swedish livstid.

This word in other languages

vida(Español)durée de vie(Français)Leben(Deutsch)vida(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilfetime
  • lfietime
  • lieftime
  • lifeitme
  • lifetiem
  • lifetimme
  • lifetmie
  • lifettime
  • liffetime
  • lifteime
  • llifetime

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilfetime2lfietime2lieftime2lifeitme2lifetiem2lifetimme1lifetmie2lifettime1
Edit distance from "lifetime"

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 "lifetime"?
"lifetime" is spelled L-I-F-E-T-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/.
What does "lifetime" mean?
As a noun, "lifetime" means: The duration of the life of someone or something.
What words are commonly confused with "lifetime"?
"lifetime" is commonly confused with "lifeline", "lifelike". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lifetime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lifetime" is /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/. 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 "lifetime"?
From Middle English lyftyme, equivalent to life + time. Cognate with Icelandic líftími (“lifetime”). Compare also Saterland Frisian Lieuwendstied, Dutch leeftijd and levenstijd, German Low German Levenstied, German Lebenszeit, Danish livstid, Swed... 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 "lifetime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mortgage#3,705handling#3,696observed#3,709entrance#3,688

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

lawyers11 variantsnarrative11 variantsFrancis11 variantsposting11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list