listeria

/lɪˈsteːɹi.ə/

//lɪˈsteːɹi.ə// noun

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

"listeria" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“listeria” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,590. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,590
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any rod-shaped, gram-positive bacterium, of the genus Listeria, especially those responsible for the bacterial infection listeriosis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-listeria · listeria · English

listeria · rank #46,590 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,590
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH linoleum

Nearest frequency peer: linoleum (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “listeria”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “listeria” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

listeria vs lister
75% similar
listeria vs Liberia
63% similar

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

Key facts for listeria
PropertyValue
Headwordlisteria
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lɪˈsteːɹi.ə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#46,590
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “listeria”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “linoleum” (#46,589), “Lockett” (#46,591), “Longview” (#46,592). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “listeria” is #46,590. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around listeria (IPA /lɪˈsteːɹi.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,590 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any rod-shaped, gram-positive bacterium, of the genus Listeria, especially those responsible for the bacterial infection listeriosis.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for listeria, with forms such as "ilsteria", "lisetria", and "lissteria". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "lister", "Liberia", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the genus name Listeria. The correct English form is listeria, spelled L-I-S-T-E-R-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any rod-shaped, gram-positive bacterium, of the genus Listeria, especially those responsible for the bacterial infection listeriosis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. One of the main reasons fridge temperatures are recommend to be set at 5ºC is because of listeria. Listeria is a food poisoning bacterium that is psychrotrophic – in other words it likes cold temperatures. From the growth models, we know that listeria grows nearly twice as fast at 8°C as it does at 5°C, hence the recommended 5ºC, which helps keep us safe…
  2. Listeriosis is a foodborne disease caused by listeria bacteria.

Etymology

From the genus name Listeria.

This word in other languages

listéria(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilsteria
  • lisetria
  • lissteria
  • listeira
  • listerai
  • listerria
  • listreia
  • listteria
  • litseria
  • llisteria
  • lsiteria

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of listeria - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ilsteria2lisetria2lissteria1listeira2listerai2listerria1listreia2listteria1
Edit distance from "listeria"

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 "listeria"?
"listeria" is spelled L-I-S-T-E-R-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /lɪˈsteːɹi.ə/.
What does "listeria" mean?
As a noun, "listeria" means: Any rod-shaped, gram-positive bacterium, of the genus Listeria, especially those responsible for the bacterial infection listeriosis.
What words are commonly confused with "listeria"?
"listeria" is commonly confused with "lister", "Liberia". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "listeria"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "listeria" is /lɪˈsteːɹi.ə/. 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 "listeria"?
From the genus name Listeria. 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 "listeria", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

linoleum#46,589Longview#46,592maniacal#46,603McCauley#46,613

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

latches11 variantsIshikawa11 variantsimmigrate11 variantsHumbert11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list