lithium

/ˈlɪθi.əm/

//ˈlɪθi.əm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lithium” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,750. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,750
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The simplest alkali metal, the lightest solid element, and the third lightest chemical element (symbol Li) with an atomic number of 3 and atomic weight of 6.94. It is a soft, silvery metal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lithium · lithium · English

lithium · rank #13,750 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,750
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lowe

Nearest frequency peer: lowe (+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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “lithium”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “lithium” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lithium
PropertyValue
Headwordlithium
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪθi.əm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,750
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lithium” 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).lithiumlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lowe” (#13,751), “lettuce” (#13,748), “lucrative” (#13,752). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around lithium (IPA /ˈlɪθi.əm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,750 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for lithium, with forms such as "ilthium", "lihtium", and "lithhium". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From New Latin lithium, from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + -ium. The correct English form is lithium, spelled L-I-T-H-I-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The simplest alkali metal, the lightest solid element, and the third lightest chemical element (symbol Li) with an atomic number of 3 and atomic weight of 6.94. It is a soft, silvery metal.
  2. 2
    A single atom of this element.
  3. 3
    Lithium carbonate or other preparations of lithium metal used as a mood stabiliser to treat manic depression and bipolar disorders.
  4. 4
    A lithium battery.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The importance of lithium-ion batteries makes lithium a potentially strategic natural resource.
  2. Already, beautiful places are being wrecked by an electric vehicle resource rush. Lithium mining, for example, is now poisoning rivers and depleting groundwater from Tibet to Bolivia.

Etymology

From New Latin lithium, from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + -ium.

This word in other languages

litio(Español)lithium(Français)Lithium(Deutsch)lítio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilthium
  • lihtium
  • lithhium
  • lithimu
  • lithiumm
  • lithuim
  • litihum
  • litthium
  • llithium
  • ltihium

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ilthium2lihtium2lithhium1lithimu2lithiumm1lithuim2litihum2litthium1
Edit distance from "lithium"

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 "lithium"?
"lithium" is spelled L-I-T-H-I-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪθi.əm/.
What does "lithium" mean?
As a noun, "lithium" means: The simplest alkali metal, the lightest solid element, and the third lightest chemical element (symbol Li) with an atomic number of 3 and atomic weight of 6.94. It is a soft, silvery metal.
What are common misspellings of "lithium"?
Common misspellings include "ilthium", "lihtium", "lithhium", "lithimu", "lithiumm". The correct spelling is "lithium".
How do you pronounce "lithium"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lithium" is /ˈlɪθi.əm/. 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 "lithium"?
From New Latin lithium, from Ancient Greek λίθος (líthos, “stone”) + -ium. 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 "lithium", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lettuce#13,748glitter#13,728Fleming#13,719fencing#13,716

Similar misspelling depth

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

oppressed10 variantsfronts10 variantsfollower10 variantseminent10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "lithium". Here's where to go from here.

  • 10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #13,750 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "L" letter cohort. L–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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