litmus test
"litmus-test" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“litmus test” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A simple, binary test for the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, using litmus paper.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | litmus test |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “litmus test” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for litmus test is 11 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for litmus test, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From litmus + test. The correct English form is litmus test, spelled L-I-T-M-U-S- -T-E-S-T.
Definition
- 1A simple, binary test for the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, using litmus paper.
- 2Any test which produces a binary, decisive result (for example, determining whether to appoint someone to a job) by measuring a single indicator.
Etymology
From litmus + test.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “litmus test”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-I-T-M-U-S- -T-E-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.