lila

noun

"lila" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lila” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,198 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#27,198
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lila vs lol
50% similar
lila vs lit
50% similar
lila vs lip
50% similar

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

Key facts for lila
PropertyValue
Headwordlila
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#27,198
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lila” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for lila is 4 letters long, classified as a noun. Corpus data places it at rank #27,198 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lila, with forms such as "illa", "lial", and "lilla". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lol", "lit", "lip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Transliteration of Sanskrit लीला (līlā). The correct English form is lila, spelled L-I-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.

Etymology

Transliteration of Sanskrit लीला (līlā).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: illa,lial,lilla,llia,llila

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

illa2lial2lilla1llia2llila1
Edit distance from "lila"

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 "lila"?
"lila" is spelled L-I-L-A.
What does "lila" mean?
As a noun, "lila" means: The play of god’s spirit manifested in the universe; divine play, creative spiritual energy.
What words are commonly confused with "lila"?
"lila" is commonly confused with "lol", "lit", "lip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "lila"?
Transliteration of Sanskrit लीला (līlā). 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.

Using “lila”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Don't mix it up with “lol” - see the side-by-side comparison. lila vs lol
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list