ligament

/ˈlɪɡəmənt/

//ˈlɪɡəmənt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“ligament” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,607. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,607
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A band of strong tissue that connects bones to other bones.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ligament · ligament · English

ligament · rank #18,607 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,607
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH libel

Nearest frequency peer: libel (-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 “ligament”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ligament” 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).

ligament vs lament
75% similar

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

Key facts for ligament
PropertyValue
Headwordligament
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪɡəmənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#18,607
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ligament”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “libel” (#18,606), “likeness” (#18,608), “latch” (#18,605). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “ligament” is #18,607. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around ligament (IPA /ˈlɪɡəmənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,607 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for ligament, with forms such as "ilgament", "lgiament", and "liagment". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "lament", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ligament, from Latin ligāmentum, from ligō (“tie, bind”). The correct English form is ligament, spelled L-I-G-A-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A band of strong tissue that connects bones to other bones.
  2. 2
    That which binds or acts as a ligament.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It so chanced that at this juncture the decayed ligaments of the skeleton gave way, and the dry bones fell together in a heap, thus causing the dusty wreath of cypress to drop upon the table.
  2. Her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) are torn and Vonn has a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau, the upper end of the tibia or shin bone.

Etymology

From Middle English ligament, from Latin ligāmentum, from ligō (“tie, bind”).

This word in other languages

ligamento(Español)ligament(Français)Band(Deutsch)ligamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilgament
  • lgiament
  • liagment
  • ligaemnt
  • ligamennt
  • ligamentt
  • ligametn
  • ligamment
  • ligamnet
  • liggament
  • ligmaent
  • lligament

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ligament - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ilgament2lgiament2liagment2ligaemnt2ligamennt1ligamentt1ligametn2ligamment1
Edit distance from "ligament"

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 "ligament"?
"ligament" is spelled L-I-G-A-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪɡəmənt/.
What does "ligament" mean?
As a noun, "ligament" means: A band of strong tissue that connects bones to other bones.
What words are commonly confused with "ligament"?
"ligament" is commonly confused with "lament". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ligament"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ligament" is /ˈlɪɡəmənt/. 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 "ligament"?
From Middle English ligament, from Latin ligāmentum, from ligō (“tie, bind”). 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 "ligament", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

likeness#18,608issuance#18,598insanely#18,592Mongolia#18,632

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Houghton12 variantshardwood12 variantsroasting12 variantsclassmate12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list