limb

/lɪm/

//lɪm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“limb” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,244. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,244
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).

Corpus desk

Index EN-limb · limb · English

limb · rank #11,244 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,244
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH leaking

Nearest frequency peer: leaking (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “limb”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “limb” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

limb vs LM
0% similar
limb vs lit
50% similar
limb vs lip
50% similar

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

Key facts for limb
PropertyValue
Headwordlimb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,244
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “limb” 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).limblands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “leaking” (#11,243), “Mack” (#11,245), “Kardashian” (#11,242). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around limb (IPA /lɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,244 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for limb, with forms such as "ilmb", "libm", and "limbb". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LM", "lit", "lip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lyme, lim, from Old English lim (“limb, branch”), from Proto-West Germanic *limu, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”). Cognate with Old Norse limr (“limb”). The spelling with the silent unetymological -b first arose in the late 1… The correct English form is limb, spelled L-I-M-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
  2. 2
    A branch of a tree.
  3. 3
    The part of the bow, from the handle to the tip.
  4. 4
    An elementary piece of the mechanism of a lock.
  5. 5
    A thing or person regarded as a part or member of, or attachment to, something else.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of limb of Satan (“a wicked or mischievous child”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. UUhoſe hands are made to gripe a warlike Lance— Their ſhoulders broad, for complet armour fit, Their lims more large and of a bigger ſize Than all the brats yſprong from Typhons loins:
  2. Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with […] on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.

Etymology

From Middle English lyme, lim, from Old English lim (“limb, branch”), from Proto-West Germanic *limu, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”). Cognate with Old Norse limr (“limb”). The spelling with the silent unetymological -b first arose in the late 1500s. Compare crumb.

Synonyms

limb

This word in other languages

miembro(Español)membre(Français)Glied(Deutsch)galho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilmb
  • libm
  • limbb
  • limmb
  • llimb
  • lmib

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilmb2libm2limbb1limmb1llimb1lmib2
Edit distance from "limb"

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 "limb"?
"limb" is spelled L-I-M-B. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪm/.
What does "limb" mean?
As a noun, "limb" means: A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
What words are commonly confused with "limb"?
"limb" is commonly confused with "LM", "lit", "lip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "limb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "limb" is /lɪm/. 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 "limb"?
From Middle English lyme, lim, from Old English lim (“limb, branch”), from Proto-West Germanic *limu, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”). Cognate with Old Norse limr (“limb”). The spelling with the silent unetymological -b first arose in ... 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 "limb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mack#11,245idle#11,235Hyde#11,233hugs#11,231

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

gays6 variantsfined6 variantsRonnie6 variantssank6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "limb". Here's where to go from here.

  • "limb" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "LM". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #11,244 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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