liquorice

/ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/

//ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ// noun

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

The verdict

“liquorice” is uncommon English (frequency #54,310 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,310
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - UK, Ireland, India, and South Africa standard spelling of licorice.

Key facts for liquorice
PropertyValue
Headwordliquorice
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#54,310
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “liquorice” 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). liquorice lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

liquorice is uncommon English at frequency #54,310 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "UK, Ireland, India, and South Africa standard spelling of licorice.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for liquorice in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From licorice by association with liquor. The correct English form is liquorice, spelled L-I-Q-U-O-R-I-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    UK, Ireland, India, and South Africa standard spelling of licorice.

Etymology

From licorice by association with liquor.

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 "liquorice"?
"liquorice" is spelled L-I-Q-U-O-R-I-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/.
What does "liquorice" mean?
As a noun, "liquorice" means: UK, Ireland, India, and South Africa standard spelling of licorice.
How do you pronounce "liquorice"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "liquorice" is /ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/. 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 "liquorice"?
From licorice by association with liquor. 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 “liquorice”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-Q-U-O-R-I-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlɪ.k(ə).ɹɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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