lithic

/ˈlɪθɪk/

//ˈlɪθɪk// adj

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

"lithic" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lithic” is uncommon English (frequency #71,661 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,661
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-lithic · lithic · English

lithic · rank #71,661 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,661
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH liminal

Nearest frequency peer: liminal (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “lithic”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lithic” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lithic
PropertyValue
Headwordlithic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɪθɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#71,661
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lithic” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).lithicfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “liminal” (#71,660), “Livings” (#71,662), “lill” (#71,659). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lithic” is #71,661. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lithic is uncommon English at frequency #71,661 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈlɪθɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for lithic, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lith- + -ic. The correct English form is lithic, spelled L-I-T-H-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Relating to stone.
  2. 2
    Relating to rock.
  3. 3
    Relating to lithium.
  4. 4
    Relating to the formation of uric acid concretions (stones) in the bladder and other parts of the body.
  5. 5
    pertaining to Native American culture before circa 8,500 BCE.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. lithic architecture
  2. lithic diathesis

Etymology

From lith- + -ic.

This word in other languages

lítico(Español)lithique(Français)

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 "lithic"?
"lithic" is spelled L-I-T-H-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪθɪk/.
What does "lithic" mean?
As an adjective, "lithic" means: Relating to stone.
How do you pronounce "lithic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lithic" is /ˈlɪθɪk/. 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 "lithic"?
From lith- + -ic. 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 "lithic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lusted#71,670Madhav#71,674McCook#71,690Khosla#71,631

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list