lime

/laɪm/

//laɪm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lime” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,814. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,814
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 inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).

Corpus desk

Index EN-lime · lime · English

lime · rank #8,814 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,814
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lethal

Nearest frequency peer: lethal (-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 “lime”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lime” 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).

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

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

Key facts for lime
PropertyValue
Headwordlime
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/laɪm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#8,814
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lime”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).limelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lethal” (#8,813), “lively” (#8,815), “legion” (#8,812). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lime” is #8,814. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around lime (IPA /laɪm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,814 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lime, with forms such as "ilme", "liem", and "limme". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LM", "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 lyme, lym, lime, from Old English līm, from Proto-West Germanic *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm, German Leim (“glue”), Danish lim … The correct English form is lime, spelled L-I-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).
  2. 2
    Any gluey or adhesive substance that traps or captures; sometimes a synonym for birdlime.
  3. 3
    A limelight; any spotlight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lime, which is the product of the burning of chalk or limestone, might be bought ready burnt, or it could be burnt in kilns specially constructed in the neighbourhood of the building operations.
  2. Monster, come, put some lime upon your fingers, and away with the rest.

Etymology

From Middle English lyme, lym, lime, from Old English līm, from Proto-West Germanic *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm, German Leim (“glue”), Danish lim (from Old Norse lím), Latin limus (“mud”).

This word in other languages

cal(Español)chaux(Français)Kalk(Deutsch)cal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilme
  • liem
  • limme
  • llime
  • lmie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilme2liem2limme1llime1lmie2
Edit distance from "lime"

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 "lime"?
"lime" is spelled L-I-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /laɪm/.
What does "lime" mean?
As a noun, "lime" means: Any inorganic material containing calcium, usually calcium oxide (quicklime) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime).
What words are commonly confused with "lime"?
"lime" 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 "lime"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lime" is /laɪm/. 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 "lime"?
From Middle English lyme, lym, lime, from Old English līm, from Proto-West Germanic *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂leyH- (“to smear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Liem (“glue”), Dutch lijm, German Leim (“glue”), D... 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 "lime", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lads#8,811Lynn#8,818maid#8,819Ivan#8,806

Similar misspelling depth

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

gaps5 variantsowed5 variantsfade5 variantsbait5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list