loathe

/ˈləʊð/

//ˈləʊð// verb

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

"loathe" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loathe” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,122. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,122
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something).

Corpus desk

Index EN-loathe · loathe · English

loathe · rank #25,122 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,122
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lister

Nearest frequency peer: lister (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “loathe”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “loathe” 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).

loathe vs lotte
67% similar
loathe vs locate
67% similar
loathe vs Lottie
50% similar

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

Key facts for loathe
PropertyValue
Headwordloathe
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈləʊð/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,122
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “loathe”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).loathelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lister” (#25,121), “limelight” (#25,120), “logistic” (#25,124). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “loathe” is #25,122. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around loathe (IPA /ˈləʊð/), averb. Corpus frequency is #25,122 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for loathe, with forms such as "laothe", "lloathe", and "loahte". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "lotte", "locate", "Lottie", 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 lothe, from Old English lāþian, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþēn, from Proto-Germanic *laiþāną. Cognate with Old Norse leiðask ( > Danish ledes, Icelandic leiðast, all reflexive), German Leid. The correct English form is loathe, spelled L-O-A-T-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something).
  2. 2
    To induce or inspire disgust (in a person)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I loathe scrubbing toilets.
  2. I absolutely loathe this place.

Etymology

From Middle English lothe, from Old English lāþian, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþēn, from Proto-Germanic *laiþāną. Cognate with Old Norse leiðask ( > Danish ledes, Icelandic leiðast, all reflexive), German Leid.

This word in other languages

detestar(Español)exécrer(Français)verabscheuen(Deutsch)detestar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • laothe
  • lloathe
  • loahte
  • loateh
  • loathhe
  • loatthe
  • lotahe
  • olathe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

laothe2lloathe1loahte2loateh2loathhe1loatthe1lotahe2olathe2
Edit distance from "loathe"

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 "loathe"?
"loathe" is spelled L-O-A-T-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊð/.
What does "loathe" mean?
As a verb, "loathe" means: To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something).
What words are commonly confused with "loathe"?
"loathe" is commonly confused with "lotte", "locate", "Lottie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "loathe"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loathe" is /ˈləʊð/. 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 "loathe"?
From Middle English lothe, from Old English lāþian, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþēn, from Proto-Germanic *laiþāną. Cognate with Old Norse leiðask ( > Danish ledes, Icelandic leiðast, all reflexive), German Leid. 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 "loathe", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lister#25,121mantis#25,131notary#25,152hijack#25,089

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Minsk8 variantsgalore8 variantsfranc8 variantsflurry8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list