liturgy

/ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/

//ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi// noun

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

The verdict

“liturgy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,728 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#22,728
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A predetermined or prescribed set of rituals that are performed, usually by a religion; a book in which they are recorded.

Key facts for liturgy
PropertyValue
Headwordliturgy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,728
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “liturgy” 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). liturgy lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for liturgy is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,728 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for liturgy, with forms such as "ilturgy", "litrugy", and "litturgy". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French liturgie, from Latin liturgia, from Ancient Greek λειτουργία (leitourgía), from λειτ- (leit-), from λαός (laós, “people”) + -ουργός (-ourgós), from ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (the public work of the people done on behalf of the people). The correct English form is liturgy, spelled L-I-T-U-R-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A predetermined or prescribed set of rituals that are performed, usually by a religion; a book in which they are recorded.
  2. 2
    An official worship service of the Christian church.
  3. 3
    In Ancient Greece, a form of personal service to the state.

Etymology

From Middle French liturgie, from Latin liturgia, from Ancient Greek λειτουργία (leitourgía), from λειτ- (leit-), from λαός (laós, “people”) + -ουργός (-ourgós), from ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (the public work of the people done on behalf of the people).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ilturgy,litrugy,litturgy,litugry,liturggy,liturgyy,liturrgy,lituryg,liutrgy,lliturgy,ltiurgy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of liturgy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ilturgy2litrugy2litturgy1litugry2liturggy1liturgyy1liturrgy1lituryg2
Edit distance from "liturgy"

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 "liturgy"?
"liturgy" is spelled L-I-T-U-R-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/.
What does "liturgy" mean?
As a noun, "liturgy" means: A predetermined or prescribed set of rituals that are performed, usually by a religion; a book in which they are recorded.
What are common misspellings of "liturgy"?
Common misspellings include "ilturgy", "litrugy", "litturgy", "litugry", "liturggy". The correct spelling is "liturgy".
How do you pronounce "liturgy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "liturgy" is /ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/. 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 "liturgy"?
From Middle French liturgie, from Latin liturgia, from Ancient Greek λειτουργία (leitourgía), from λειτ- (leit-), from λαός (laós, “people”) + -ουργός (-ourgós), from ἔργον (érgon, “work”) (the public work of the people done on behalf of the people). 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 “liturgy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-I-T-U-R-G-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈlɪtəd͡ʒi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list