llama

/ˈlɑː.mə/

//ˈlɑː.mə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“llama” sits in 15 confusable pairs (corpus #30,868) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#30,868
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-llama · llama · English

llama · rank #30,868 · 4 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,868
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH looped

Nearest frequency peer: looped (+1 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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “llama”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “llama” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

llama vs loma
60% similar
llama vs loam
60% similar
llama vs lam
60% similar

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

Key facts for llama
PropertyValue
Headwordllama
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɑː.mə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#30,868
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “llama”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “looped” (#30,869), “loosening” (#30,870), “Limbaugh” (#30,865). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “llama” is #30,868. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for llama is neighbouring look-alikes ("loma", "loam", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈlɑː.mə/. Frequency #30,868 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Gloss: "A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for llama, with forms such as "lalma", "llaam", and "llamma". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "loma", "loam", "lam", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama. The correct English form is llama, spelled L-L-A-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama.

This word in other languages

llama(Español)lama(Français)Lama(Deutsch)lhama(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lalma
  • llaam
  • llamma
  • llmaa

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lalma2llaam2llamma1llmaa2
Edit distance from "llama"

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 "llama"?
"llama" is spelled L-L-A-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɑː.mə/.
What does "llama" mean?
As a noun, "llama" means: A South American mammal of the camel family, Lama glama, used as a domestic beast of burden and a source of wool and meat.
What words are commonly confused with "llama"?
"llama" is commonly confused with "loma", "loam", "lam". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "llama"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "llama" is /ˈlɑː.mə/. 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 "llama"?
Borrowed from Spanish llama, from Quechua llama. 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 "llama", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

liege#30,862Marko#30,878Keats#30,853Inuit#30,849

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list