literal

/ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/

//ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl// adj

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

"literal" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“literal” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,077. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,077
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather tha...

Corpus desk

Index EN-literal · literal · English

literal · rank #10,077 · 10 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,077
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lick

Nearest frequency peer: lick (-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 “literal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “literal” 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).

literal vs literary
75% similar
literal vs literate
75% similar
literal vs littoral
75% similar

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

Key facts for literal
PropertyValue
Headwordliteral
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,077
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “literal”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “lick” (#10,076), “lunar” (#10,078), “lenses” (#10,075). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “literal” is #10,077. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around literal (IPA /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,077 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for literal, with forms such as "ilteral", "lietral", and "litearl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "literary", "literate", "littoral", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English literal, from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis or literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera or litera (“a letter”). See letter. The correct English form is literal, spelled L-I-T-E-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather than idiomatic.
  2. 2
    Actual, real, physical.
  3. 3
    That which generally assumes that the plainest reading of a given text is correct but which allows for metaphor where context indicates it.
  4. 4
    Following the historical-grammatical method of biblical interpretation.
  5. 5
    Consisting of, or expressed by, letters (of an alphabet); using literation.
  6. 6
    Unimaginative; matter-of-fact; literal-minded.
  7. 7
    Used nonliterally as an intensifier. See literally for usage notes.
  8. 8
    Misspelling of littoral.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The literal translation of Spanish irse al otro barrio is "to go to the other neighbourhood" but it means "to die".
  2. A literal reading of the law would prohibit it, but that is clearly not the intent.

Etymology

From Middle English literal, from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis or literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera or litera (“a letter”). See letter.

Antonyms

figurativefreemetaphoricalnonliteralilliteral

This word in other languages

literal(Español)littéral(Français)wörtlich(Deutsch)literal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilteral
  • lietral
  • litearl
  • literall
  • literla
  • literral
  • litreal
  • litteral
  • lliteral
  • ltieral

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilteral2lietral2litearl2literall1literla2literral1litreal2litteral1
Edit distance from "literal"

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 "literal"?
"literal" is spelled L-I-T-E-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/.
What does "literal" mean?
As an adjective, "literal" means: Exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation; according to the letter; not figurative or metaphorical; following the letter or exact words; not taking liberties; etymonic rather tha...
What words are commonly confused with "literal"?
"literal" is commonly confused with "literary", "literate", "littoral". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "literal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "literal" is /ˈlɪt(ə)ɹəl/. 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 "literal"?
From Middle English literal, from Old French literal, from Late Latin litteralis or literalis (“of or pertaining to letters or to writing”), from Latin littera or litera (“a letter”). See letter. 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 "literal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Maxwell#10,081insider#10,066hearted#10,059obliged#10,095

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

immortal10 variantsfairness10 variantsdeepest10 variantsseating10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list