Lilongwe

/lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ/

//lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ// name

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

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

The verdict

“Lilongwe” is uncommon English (frequency #81,510 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,510
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A city, the capital city of Malawi.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lilongwe · Lilongwe · English

Lilongwe · rank #81,510 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,510
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lightman

Nearest frequency peer: lightman (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “Lilongwe”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for Lilongwe
PropertyValue
HeadwordLilongwe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#81,510
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Lilongwe” in English

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).Lilongwefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “lightman” (#81,509), “limey” (#81,511), “Lipitor” (#81,513). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “Lilongwe” is #81,510. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Lilongwe is uncommon English at frequency #81,510 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A city, the capital city of Malawi.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Lilongwe, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Chichewa Lilongwe. The correct English form is Lilongwe, spelled L-I-L-O-N-G-W-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A city, the capital city of Malawi.

Etymology

Borrowed from Chichewa Lilongwe.

This word in other languages

Lilongüe(Español)Lilongwe(Français)Lilongwe(Deutsch)

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 "Lilongwe"?
"Lilongwe" is spelled L-I-L-O-N-G-W-E. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ/.
What does "Lilongwe" mean?
As a proper noun, "Lilongwe" means: A city, the capital city of Malawi.
How do you pronounce "Lilongwe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Lilongwe" is /lɪˈlɒŋw(e)ɪ/. 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 "Lilongwe"?
Borrowed from Chichewa Lilongwe. 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 "Lilongwe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lightman#81,509logician#81,516lethally#81,503legalese#81,500

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list