litmus
lit·mus/ˈlɪtməs/noun
litmus is spelled L-I-T-M-U-S: 6 letters and 2 syllables (lit·mus). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, litmus means “A dyestuff extracted from certain lichens, that changes color when exposed to pH levels greater than or less than certain critical levels” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of litmus is litmuses.
How many letters and syllables are in litmus?
| Letters | 6: L-I-T-M-U-S |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: lit·mus |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,416th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is litmus?
Litmus appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,416th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce litmus?
- /ˈlɪtməs/
Litmus has 2 syllables, split lit·mus in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-litmus.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of litmus
- litmuses plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does litmus mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dyestuff extracted from certain lichens, that changes color when exposed to pH levels greater than or less than certain critical levels.
- 2
A simple test of acidity in a liquid using litmus, usually in the form of litmus paper.
- 3
A simple test of any attribute; a litmus test.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Litmus in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dyestuff from lichen:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does litmus come from?
From Middle English litmose, lytmose, litemose, from Old Norse litmosi (“moss used for dyeing”), from lita (“to dye, stain”) + mosi (“moss”), the former from litr (“colour, dye, blee”), from Proto-Germanic *wlitiz, *wlituz (“appearance, blee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wel- (“to see”). Cognate with Old English wlite (“appearance, form, brightness, countenance”). More at moss.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).