lipid

/ˈlɪpɪd/

//ˈlɪpɪd// noun

"lipid" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lipid” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,886 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,886
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lipid vs lips
60% similar
lipid vs lived
60% similar
lipid vs lucid
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for lipid
PropertyValue
Headwordlipid
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪpɪd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,886
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lipid” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). lipid lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for lipid is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɪpɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,886 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the...".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lipid, with forms such as "ilpid", "liipd", and "lipdi". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lips", "lived", "lucid", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French lipide, coined in 1923 by Gabriel Bertrand from Ancient Greek λῐ́πος (lĭ́pos, “animal fat”) + French -ide. The correct English form is lipid, spelled L-I-P-I-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the human body.

Etymology

Borrowed from French lipide, coined in 1923 by Gabriel Bertrand from Ancient Greek λῐ́πος (lĭ́pos, “animal fat”) + French -ide.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ilpid,liipd,lipdi,lipidd,lippid,llipid,lpiid

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilpid2liipd2lipdi2lipidd1lippid1llipid1lpiid2
Edit distance from "lipid"

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 "lipid"?
"lipid" is spelled L-I-P-I-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪpɪd/.
What does "lipid" mean?
As a noun, "lipid" means: Any of a group of organic compounds including the fats, oils, waxes, sterols, and triglycerides. Lipids are characterized by being insoluble in water, and account for most of the fat present in the...
What words are commonly confused with "lipid"?
"lipid" is commonly confused with "lips", "lived", "lucid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lipid"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lipid" is /ˈlɪpɪd/. 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 "lipid"?
Borrowed from French lipide, coined in 1923 by Gabriel Bertrand from Ancient Greek λῐ́πος (lĭ́pos, “animal fat”) + French -ide. 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.

Using “lipid”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-P-I-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlɪpɪd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lips” - see the side-by-side comparison. lipid vs lips
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list