limbo

/ˈlɪmbəʊ/

//ˈlɪmbəʊ// noun

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

"limbo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“limbo” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,381. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,381
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-limbo · limbo · English

limbo · rank #19,381 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,381
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH latency

Nearest frequency peer: latency (-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 “limbo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “limbo” 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).

limbo vs LMAO
0% similar
limbo vs lime
60% similar
limbo vs limp
60% similar

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

Key facts for limbo
PropertyValue
Headwordlimbo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪmbəʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,381
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “limbo”

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).limbolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “latency” (#19,380), “linger” (#19,382), “lac” (#19,379). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “limbo” is #19,381. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around limbo (IPA /ˈlɪmbəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,381 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for limbo, with forms such as "ilmbo", "libmo", and "limbbo". 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, "LMAO", "lime", "limp", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like in limbō … The correct English form is limbo, spelled L-I-M-B-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those of the saints who died before the advent of Jesus Christ (who occupy the limbo patrum or limbo of the patriarchs or fathers) and those of unbaptized infants (who occupy the limbo infantum or limbo of the infants); (countable) the possible place where each category of souls might exist, regarded separately.
  2. 2
    Chiefly preceded by in: any in-between place, or condition or state, of neglect or oblivion which results in deadlock, delay, or some other unresolved status.
  3. 3
    Jail, prison; (countable) a jail cell or lockup.
  4. 4
    Synonym of Hades or Hell.
  5. 5
    Synonym of pawn (“the state of something being held as security for a loan, or as a pledge”).
  6. 6
    A type of antisubmarine mortar installed on naval vessels.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Of vvhat texte thou proveſt hell / vvill a nother prove purgatory / a nother lymbo patrum / and a nother the aſſumpcion of oure ladi: And a nother ſhall prove of the ſame texte that an Ape hath a tayle.
  2. Oh vvhat a ſimpathie of vvoe is this, / As farre from helpe, as Lymbo is from bliſſe.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like in limbō (“in limbo”) and e limbō (“out of limbo”)); further etymology uncertain, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *lemb- (“to hang limply or loosely”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“to hang down loosely (?)”). Doublet of limp. The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

limbo(Español)limbes(Français)Limbus(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilmbo
  • libmo
  • limbbo
  • limmbo
  • limob
  • llimbo
  • lmibo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilmbo2libmo2limbbo1limmbo1limob2llimbo1lmibo2
Edit distance from "limbo"

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 "limbo"?
"limbo" is spelled L-I-M-B-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪmbəʊ/.
What does "limbo" mean?
As a noun, "limbo" means: A speculation, thought possibly to be on the edge of the bottomless pit of Hell, where the souls of innocent deceased people might exist temporarily until they can enter heaven, specifically those ...
What words are commonly confused with "limbo"?
"limbo" is commonly confused with "LMAO", "lime", "limp". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "limbo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "limbo" is /ˈlɪmbəʊ/. 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 "limbo"?
The noun is derived from Middle English limbo, lymbo (“place where innocent souls exist temporarily until they can enter heaven”), from Latin limbō, the ablative singular of limbus (“border, edge; hem; fringe, tassel”) (notably in expressions like... 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 "limbo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lousy#19,383kyrie#19,377hydra#19,362heaps#19,357

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

mammal7 variantsmuzzle7 variantsOrtiz7 variantsovert7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list