limpet

/ˈlɪm.pɪt/

//ˈlɪm.pɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“limpet” is uncommon English (frequency #70,832 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,832
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape patelliform and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.

Corpus desk

Index EN-limpet · limpet · English

limpet · rank #70,832 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,832
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Liddy

Nearest frequency peer: Liddy (-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 “limpet”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for limpet
PropertyValue
Headwordlimpet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪm.pɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#70,832
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “limpet” 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).limpetfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Liddy” (#70,831), “linoleic” (#70,833), “Lewisville” (#70,830). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “limpet” is #70,832. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

limpet is uncommon English at frequency #70,832 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɪm.pɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for limpet, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu (“lamprey”), borrowed from Medieval Latin lampreda, alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō (“I lick, lap”) + p… The correct English form is limpet, spelled L-I-M-P-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape patelliform and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.
  2. 2
    Someone clingy or dependent; someone disregarding or ignorant of another's personal space.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He stuck to me like a limpet all day!

Etymology

From Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu (“lamprey”), borrowed from Medieval Latin lampreda, alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō (“I lick, lap”) + petra (“stone, rock”). Doublet of lamprey, which came through Old French.

This word in other languages

lapa(Español)patelle(Français)Anhang(Deutsch)lapa(Português)

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 "limpet"?
"limpet" is spelled L-I-M-P-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪm.pɪt/.
What does "limpet" mean?
As a noun, "limpet" means: Any of various gastropods with a conical shell shape patelliform and a strong, muscular foot that they use to create strong suction to cling onto rocks or other hard surfaces.
How do you pronounce "limpet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "limpet" is /ˈlɪm.pɪt/. 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 "limpet"?
From Middle English lempet, from Old English lempedu (“lamprey”), borrowed from Medieval Latin lampreda, alteration of Late Latin lampetra (“lamprey”), whose further origin is unknown, though is traditionally thought to derive from lambō (“I lick,... 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 "limpet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lychee#70,850Lytham#70,851Kitson#70,812Kishan#70,810

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list