liver

/ˈlɪvə/

//ˈlɪvə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"liver" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“liver” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,337. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,337
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large organ in the body that stores and metabolizes nutrients, destroys toxins and produces bile. It is responsible for thousands of biochemical reactions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-liver · liver · English

liver · rank #5,337 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,337
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lap

Nearest frequency peer: lap (-2 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “liver”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “liver” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

liver vs love
60% similar
liver vs Livy
40% similar
liver vs lives
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for liver
PropertyValue
Headwordliver
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɪvə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,337
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “liver”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).liverlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “lap” (#5,335), “metropolitan” (#5,339), “knees” (#5,334). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “liver” is #5,337. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around liver (IPA /ˈlɪvə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,337 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for liver, with forms such as "ilver", "lievr", and "liverr". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "love", "Livy", "lives", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lyvere, lyver, from Old English lifer (“liver”), from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smear, smudge, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”). … The correct English form is liver, spelled L-I-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large organ in the body that stores and metabolizes nutrients, destroys toxins and produces bile. It is responsible for thousands of biochemical reactions.
  2. 2
    This organ, as taken from animals used as food.
  3. 3
    A dark brown colour, tinted with red and gray, like the colour of liver.
  4. 4
    Any of various chemical compounds—particularly sulfides—thought to resemble livers in color.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how liver appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Steve Jobs is a famous liver transplant recipient.
  2. I'd like some goose liver pate.

Etymology

From Middle English lyvere, lyver, from Old English lifer (“liver”), from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smear, smudge, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky, glide”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Líeuwer, Lieuwer (“liver”), West Frisian lever (“liver”), Dutch lever (“liver”), German Leber (“liver”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish lever (“liver”) (the last three from Old Norse lifr (“liver”)). Related to live.

This word in other languages

hígado(Español)foie(Français)Leber(Deutsch)fígado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ilver
  • lievr
  • liverr
  • livre
  • livver
  • lliver
  • lvier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of liver - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ilver2lievr2liverr1livre2livver1lliver1lvier2
Edit distance from "liver"

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 "liver"?
"liver" is spelled L-I-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɪvə/.
What does "liver" mean?
As a noun, "liver" means: A large organ in the body that stores and metabolizes nutrients, destroys toxins and produces bile. It is responsible for thousands of biochemical reactions.
What words are commonly confused with "liver"?
"liver" is commonly confused with "love", "Livy", "lives". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "liver"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "liver" is /ˈlɪvə/. 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 "liver"?
From Middle English lyvere, lyver, from Old English lifer (“liver”), from Proto-West Germanic *libru, from Proto-Germanic *librō, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to smear, smudge, stick”), from Proto-Indo-European *ley- (“to be slimy, be sticky,... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "liver", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

knees#5,334mines#5,340grows#5,331grain#5,329

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

rifle7 variantsrival7 variantsrunner7 variantsCraig7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list