limbed

/lɪmd/

//lɪmd// adj

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

"limbed" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“limbed” is uncommon English (frequency #72,494 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,494
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having limbs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-limbed · limbed · English

limbed · rank #72,494 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #72,494
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lippmann

Nearest frequency peer: Lippmann (+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 “limbed”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for limbed
PropertyValue
Headwordlimbed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/lɪmd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#72,494
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “limbed” 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).limbedfalls 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: “Lippmann” (#72,495), “liger” (#72,492), “Lisette” (#72,496). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “limbed” is #72,494. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

limbed is uncommon English at frequency #72,494 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /lɪmd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for limbed, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ilimed (“having limbs, limbed”) [and other forms], from i- (prefix forming adjectives, past participles, etc.) + lim (“organ or part of the body, member; extremity of an animal or human body, limb; sexual organ; a person as a member of t… The correct English form is limbed, spelled L-I-M-B-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having limbs.
  2. 2
    Preceded by a descriptive word: having limbs of a specified kind or quality.

Etymology

From Middle English ilimed (“having limbs, limbed”) [and other forms], from i- (prefix forming adjectives, past participles, etc.) + lim (“organ or part of the body, member; extremity of an animal or human body, limb; sexual organ; a person as a member of the group of all Christians; follower; liegeman; corner of a siege tower; arm of the sea; branch of a subject”) (see further at lim) + -ed (suffix forming adjectives); analysable as limb + -ed.

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 "limbed"?
"limbed" is spelled L-I-M-B-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪmd/.
What does "limbed" mean?
As an adjective, "limbed" means: Having limbs.
How do you pronounce "limbed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "limbed" is /lɪmd/. 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 "limbed"?
From Middle English ilimed (“having limbs, limbed”) [and other forms], from i- (prefix forming adjectives, past participles, etc.) + lim (“organ or part of the body, member; extremity of an animal or human body, limb; sexual organ; a person as a m... 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 "limbed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

liveth#72,499Lowrey#72,504kosmos#72,477mallee#72,518

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list