lithology

noun

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

The verdict

“lithology” is uncommon English (frequency #90,667 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,667
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The study of rocks, with particular emphasis on their description and classification.

Key facts for lithology
PropertyValue
Headwordlithology
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#90,667
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lithology” 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). lithology 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

lithology is uncommon English at frequency #90,667 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for lithology in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From litho- + -ology. The correct English form is lithology, spelled L-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The study of rocks, with particular emphasis on their description and classification.
  2. 2
    The general composition of a rock or rock sequence.

Etymology

From litho- + -ology.

This word in other languages

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 "lithology"?
"lithology" is spelled L-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y.
What does "lithology" mean?
As a noun, "lithology" means: The study of rocks, with particular emphasis on their description and classification.
What is the origin of the word "lithology"?
From litho- + -ology. 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 “lithology”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-T-H-O-L-O-G-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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