litmus test
"litmus-test" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“litmus test” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A simple, binary test for the acidity or alkalinity of a substance, using litmus paper.
Corpus desk
Index EN-litmus-test · litmus test · English
litmus test · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | litmus test |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “litmus test” in English
Rare enough to double-check
litmus test is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how litmus test appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Exams, not interviews, have become the litmus test for entry to university.
Temple, under its new coach, Ray Morrison, formerly of Vanderbilt, will be put to the blue litmus test Friday night when it takes on Georgetown.
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.