ligatures

/ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz/

//ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz// noun

"ligatures" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ligatures” is uncommon English (frequency #69,211 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,211
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of ligature

Corpus desk

Index EN-ligatures · ligatures · English

ligatures · rank #69,211 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,211
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lovie

Nearest frequency peer: lovie (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “ligatures”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “ligatures” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ligatures
PropertyValue
Headwordligatures
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz/
Letters9
Frequency rank#69,211
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ligatures” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “lovie” (#69,213), “lulls” (#69,214), “licker” (#69,207). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “ligatures” is #69,211. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ligatures is uncommon English at frequency #69,211 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "plural of ligature".

No misspelling variants are generated for ligatures in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is ligatures, spelled L-I-G-A-T-U-R-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of ligature

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 "ligatures"?
"ligatures" is spelled L-I-G-A-T-U-R-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz/.
What does "ligatures" mean?
As a noun, "ligatures" means: plural of ligature
How do you pronounce "ligatures"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ligatures" is /ˈlɪɡət͡ʃɚz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ligatures" come from?
"ligatures" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "ligatures", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list