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line

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "line", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "line" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "line" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

line is aEnglishnoun. It means: A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight. Pronounced /laɪn/. It ranks #306 in English word frequency. Often confused with LN and lit.

Key facts for line
PropertyValue
Headwordline
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/laɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#306
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of line in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for line is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /laɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #306 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 56 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 4 documented wrong-spelling variants for line, with forms such as "ilne", "linne", and "lline". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "LN", "lit", "lip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne (“line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction”), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, linen”), from… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is line, spelled L-I-N-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  2. 2
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  3. 3
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  4. 4
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  5. 5
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  6. 6
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  7. 7
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  8. 8
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  9. 9
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  10. 10
    A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
  11. 11
    A rope, cord, string, thread, or cable, of any thickness.
  12. 12
    A hose, tube, or pipe, of any size.
  13. 13
    Direction, path.
  14. 14
    A procession, either physical or conceptual, which results from the application or effect of a given rationale or other controlling principles of belief, opinion, practice, or phenomenon.
  15. 15
    The wire connecting one telegraphic station with another, a telephone or internet cable between two points: a telephone or network connection.
  16. 16
    A clothesline.
  17. 17
    A letter, a written form of communication.
  18. 18
    A connected series of public conveyances, as a roadbed or railway track; and hence, an established arrangement for forwarding merchandise, etc.; a railroad line, railway line, Elizabeth Line etc.
  19. 19
    A trench or rampart, or the non-physical demarcation of the extent of the territory occupied by specified forces.
  20. 20
    The exterior limit of a figure or territory: a boundary, contour, or outline; a demarcation.
  21. 21
    A long tape or ribbon marked with units for measuring; a tape measure.
  22. 22
    A measuring line or cord.
  23. 23
    That which was measured by a line, such as a field or any piece of land set apart; hence, allotted place of abode.
  24. 24
    A threadlike crease or wrinkle marking the face, hand, or body; hence, a characteristic mark.
  25. 25
    Lineament; feature; figure (of one's body).
  26. 26
    A more-or-less straight sequence of people, objects, etc., either arranged as a queue or column and often waiting to be processed or dealt with, or arranged abreast of one another in a row (and contrasted with a column), as in a military formation.
  27. 27
    A more-or-less straight sequence of people, objects, etc., either arranged as a queue or column and often waiting to be processed or dealt with, or arranged abreast of one another in a row (and contrasted with a column), as in a military formation.
  28. 28
    The regular infantry of an army, as distinguished from militia, guards, volunteer corps, cavalry, artillery, etc.
  29. 29
    A series of notes forming a certain part (such as the bass or melody) of a greater work.
  30. 30
    A series or succession of ancestors or descendants of a given person; a family or race; compare lineage.
  31. 31
    A small amount of text. Specifically:
  32. 32
    A small amount of text. Specifically:
  33. 33
    A small amount of text. Specifically:
  34. 34
    A small amount of text. Specifically:
  35. 35
    Course of conduct, thought, occupation, or policy; method of argument; department of industry, trade, or intellectual activity.
  36. 36
    The official, stated position (or set of positions) of an individual or group, particularly a political or religious faction.
  37. 37
    Information about or understanding of something. (Mostly restricted to the expressions get a line on, have a line on, and give a line on.)
  38. 38
    A set of products or services sold by a business, or by extension, the business itself.
  39. 39
    A number of shares taken by a jobber.
  40. 40
    Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude
  41. 41
    Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:
  42. 42
    Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:
  43. 43
    Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:
  44. 44
    Any of an ill-defined set of units of length, varying according to the country, discipline, industry, and date of application, commonly with no indication of the intended magnitude:
  45. 45
    Ellipsis of agate line (one fourteenth of an inch).
  46. 46
    A maxwell, a unit of magnetic flux.
  47. 47
    The batter's box.
  48. 48
    The position in which the fencers hold their swords.
  49. 49
    Proper relative position or adjustment (of parts, not as to design or proportion, but with reference to smooth working).
  50. 50
    A portion or serving of a powdery recreational drug, especially cocaine, formed into a line on a flat surface in preparation for snorting.
  51. 51
    Instruction; doctrine.
  52. 52
    A population of cells derived from a single cell and containing the same genetic makeup.
  53. 53
    a set composed of a spike, a drip chamber, a clamp, a Y-injection site, a three-way stopcock and a catheter.
  54. 54
    A group of forwards that play together.
  55. 55
    A set of positions in a team which play in a similar position on the field; in a traditional team, consisting of three players and acting as one of six such sets in the team.
  56. 56
    A vascular catheter.

Etymology

From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne (“line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction”), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, linen”), from Proto-Indo-European *līno- (“flax”). Influenced in Middle English by Middle French ligne (“line”), from Latin linea. More at linen. The oldest sense of the word is “rope, cord, thread”; from this the senses “path”, “continuous mark” were derived.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ilne,linne,lline,lnie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for line

Misspelling Variants of "line"

ilne4linne5lline5lnie4
Misspelling Variants of "line"

Frequency rank: #306 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "line"?
"line" is spelled L-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /laɪn/.
What does "line" mean?
As a noun, "line" means: A path through two or more points (compare ‘segment’); a continuous mark, including as made by a pen; any path, curved or straight.
What words are commonly confused with "line"?
"line" is commonly confused with "LN", "lit", "lip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "line"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "line" is /laɪn/. 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 "line"?
From Middle English line, lyne, from Old English līne (“line, cable, rope, hawser, series, row, rule, direction”), from Proto-West Germanic *līnā, from Proto-Germanic *līnǭ (“line, rope, flaxen cord, thread”), from Proto-Germanic *līną (“flax, lin... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.