limelight

Name: limelight, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈlaɪm.laɪt/

//ˈlaɪm.laɪt// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“limelight” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,120. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,120
frequency rank, English: 2,297
“L” headwords: 14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The intense white light produced when heating lime in an oxyhydrogen flame.

Corpus desk

Index EN-limelight · limelight · English

limelight · rank #25,120 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #25,120
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 14 variants
BOOK-MID 2,297
PHOTO-FINISH lilac

Nearest frequency peer: lilac (-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.

Latvian

74,885
leveraged

74,884
lilac

74,882
limelight

74,881
lister

74,880
loathe

74,879

What this shows “limelight” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for limelight
Property	Value
Headword	limelight
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈlaɪm.laɪt/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#25,120
Misspellings tracked	14
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “limelight”

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).limelightlands here:

#25,120

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “lilac” (#25,119), “lister” (#25,121), “loathe” (#25,122). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “limelight” is #25,120. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around limelight (IPA /ˈlaɪm.laɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,120 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for limelight, with forms such as "ilmelight", "liemlight", and "limeilght". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lime + light. The correct English form is limelight, spelled L-I-M-E-L-I-G-H-T.

Definition

1
The intense white light produced when heating lime in an oxyhydrogen flame.
2
A type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls, producing a bright light by the use of incandescent quicklime.
3
Attention, notice, a starring or central role, present fame; spotlight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

Remember Rappin' Duke? Duh-ha, duh-ha You never thought that hip-hop would take it this far Now I'm in the limelight 'cause I rhyme tight Time to get paid, blow up like the World Trade

Etymology

From lime + light.

This word in other languages

feux de la rampe(Français)Rampenlicht(Deutsch)destaque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ilmelight
liemlight
limeilght
limelgiht
limeligght
limelighht
limelightt
limeligth
limelihgt
limellight
limleight
limmelight
llimelight
lmielight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of limelight - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "limelight"

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 "limelight"?

"limelight" is spelled L-I-M-E-L-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlaɪm.laɪt/.

What does "limelight" mean?

As a noun, "limelight" means: The intense white light produced when heating lime in an oxyhydrogen flame.

What are common misspellings of "limelight"?

Common misspellings include "ilmelight", "liemlight", "limeilght", "limelgiht", "limeligght". The correct spelling is "limelight".

How do you pronounce "limelight"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "limelight" is /ˈlaɪm.laɪt/. 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 "limelight"?

From lime + light. 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 "limelight", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

leveraged#25,117 landowner#25,115 manganese#25,130 midsummer#25,136

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

indulging14 variants humankind14 variants Paddington14 variants Gainesville14 variants