lintel

/ˈlɪn.təl/

//ˈlɪn.təl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lintel” is uncommon English (frequency #65,268 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,268
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lintel · lintel · English

lintel · rank #65,268 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,268
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Linehan

Nearest frequency peer: Linehan (-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 “lintel”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lintel
PropertyValue
Headwordlintel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪn.təl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#65,268
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lintel” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lintelfalls 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: “Linehan” (#65,267), “literati” (#65,270), “Liffey” (#65,265). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lintel” is #65,268. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lintel is uncommon English at frequency #65,268 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɪn.təl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for lintel, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lyntel, from Old French lintel, from Vulgar Latin *līntellus, for *līmitellus, diminutive noun from līmes. Equivalent to limit + -el. The correct English form is lintel, spelled L-I-N-T-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Athelny had told him that he lived in a house built by Inigo Jones; he had raved, as he raved over everything, over the balustrade of old oak; and when he came down to open the door for Philip he made him at once admire the elegant carving of the lintel.
  2. Then we came to a tavern with vine-leaves over the lintel,

Etymology

From Middle English lyntel, from Old French lintel, from Vulgar Latin *līntellus, for *līmitellus, diminutive noun from līmes. Equivalent to limit + -el.

Synonyms

overslaysuperliminaryheader

Antonyms

threshold

This word in other languages

lintel(Español)linteau(Français)Sturz(Deutsch)

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 "lintel"?
"lintel" is spelled L-I-N-T-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪn.təl/.
What does "lintel" mean?
As a noun, "lintel" means: A horizontal structural beam spanning an opening, such as between the uprights of a door or a window, and which supports the wall above.
How do you pronounce "lintel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lintel" is /ˈlɪn.təl/. 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 "lintel"?
From Middle English lyntel, from Old French lintel, from Vulgar Latin *līntellus, for *līmitellus, diminutive noun from līmes. Equivalent to limit + -el. 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 "lintel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Liffey#65,265loaner#65,272leftie#65,261Lucero#65,277

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list