lintwhite

noun

"lintwhite" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lintwhite” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A linnet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lintwhite · lintwhite · English

lintwhite · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for lintwhite
PropertyValue
Headwordlintwhite
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lintwhite” in English

lintwhitesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lintwhite is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A linnet.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for lintwhite, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lynkwhytte, lyngwhitte (also as Middle English lindetvigle), from Old English līnetwige, līnetwigle (“linnet”). The correct English form is lintwhite, spelled L-I-N-T-W-H-I-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A linnet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. O sweet are Coila's haughs an' woods, / When lintwhites chant amang the buds,
  2. At midnight the moon cometh, / And looketh down alone; / Her song the lintwhite swelleth, / The clear voiced mavis dwelleth […]

Etymology

From Middle English lynkwhytte, lyngwhitte (also as Middle English lindetvigle), from Old English līnetwige, līnetwigle (“linnet”).

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lintwhite"?
"lintwhite" is spelled L-I-N-T-W-H-I-T-E.
What does "lintwhite" mean?
As a noun, "lintwhite" means: A linnet.
What is the origin of the word "lintwhite"?
From Middle English lynkwhytte, lyngwhitte (also as Middle English lindetvigle), from Old English līnetwige, līnetwigle (“linnet”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list