loan

/ləʊn/

//ləʊn// noun

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

"loan" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loan” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,118 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,118
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

loan vs lot
50% similar
loan vs low
50% similar
loan vs lol
50% similar

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

Key facts for loan
PropertyValue
Headwordloan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ləʊn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#2,118
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “loan” 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). loan 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 loan is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ləʊn/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,118 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for loan, with forms such as "laon", "lloan", and "loann". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lot", "low", "lol", 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 lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North … The correct English form is loan, spelled L-O-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
  2. 2
    A sum of money or other property that a natural or legal person borrows from another with the condition that it be returned or repaid over time or at a later date (sometimes with interest).
  3. 3
    The contract and array of legal or ethical obligations surrounding a loan.
  4. 4
    The permission to borrow any item.

Etymology

From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian lien, North Frisian leen (“fief; loan; office”), Scots lane, lain, len, Old English lǣn. More at lend.

This word in other languages

préstamo(Español)prêt(Français)Anleihe(Deutsch)empréstimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: laon,lloan,loann,lona,olan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of loan - 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.

laon2lloan1loann1lona2olan2
Edit distance from "loan"

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 "loan"?
"loan" is spelled L-O-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ləʊn/.
What does "loan" mean?
As a noun, "loan" means: An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
What words are commonly confused with "loan"?
"loan" is commonly confused with "lot", "low", "lol". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "loan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loan" is /ləʊn/. 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 "loan"?
From Middle English lone, lane, from Old Norse lán, from Proto-Germanic *laihną, from Proto-Indo-European *leykʷ- (“to leave (over)”). Cognate with Icelandic lán, Swedish lån, Danish lån, German Lehen (“fief”), Dutch leen (“fief”), West Frisian li... 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 “loan”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is L-O-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ləʊn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lot” - see the side-by-side comparison. loan vs lot
  • 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