lily

/ˈlɪli/

//ˈlɪli// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lily” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,709. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,709
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lily · lily · English

lily · rank #7,709 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,709
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH licensing

Nearest frequency peer: licensing (-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 “lily”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lily” 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).

lily vs lol
50% similar
lily vs lit
50% similar
lily vs lip
50% similar

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

Key facts for lily
PropertyValue
Headwordlily
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪli/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,709
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lily”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lilylands 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 “licensing” (#7,708), “limiting” (#7,710), “lame” (#7,707). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lily” is #7,709. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around lily (IPA /ˈlɪli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,709 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lily, with forms such as "illy", "lilyy", and "liyl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lol", "lit", "lip", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lilie, from Old English lilie, from Latin līlia, plural of līlium, from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion). See there for more. The correct English form is lily, spelled L-I-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
  2. 2
    Any of several species of herbaceous flower which may or may not resemble the genus Lilium in some way, and which are not closely related to it or each other.
  3. 3
    The flower used as a heraldic charge; also commonly used to describe the fleur-de-lis.
  4. 4
    The end of a compass needle that should point north, traditionally often ornamented with the figure of a lily or fleur-de-lis.
  5. 5
    A royal spade in auction bridge.
  6. 6
    The thirtieth Lenormand card, representing calmness and maturity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The engagement photos were set in a leafy bower festooned with pink and white roses, anemones, lilies and delphinium, like something straight out of an enchanted garden.
  2. But sailing further, it veers its lily to the west.

Etymology

From Middle English lilie, from Old English lilie, from Latin līlia, plural of līlium, from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion). See there for more.

This word in other languages

azucena(Español)lys(Français)Lilie(Deutsch)lírio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • illy
  • lilyy
  • liyl
  • llily
  • lliy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

illy2lilyy1liyl2llily1lliy2
Edit distance from "lily"

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 "lily"?
"lily" is spelled L-I-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪli/.
What does "lily" mean?
As a noun, "lily" means: Any of several flowers in the genus Lilium of the family Liliaceae, which includes a great many ornamental species.
What words are commonly confused with "lily"?
"lily" is commonly confused with "lol", "lit", "lip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lily"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lily" is /ˈlɪli/. 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 "lily"?
From Middle English lilie, from Old English lilie, from Latin līlia, plural of līlium, from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion). See there for more. 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 "lily", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lame#7,707Kane#7,705hike#7,696goin#7,694

Similar misspelling depth

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

Ellis5 variantsTroy5 variantsanal5 variantsunto5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list