loathsome

/ˈləʊð.səm/

//ˈləʊð.səm// adj

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

"loathsome" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loathsome” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,230. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,230
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.

Corpus desk

Index EN-loathsome · loathsome · English

loathsome · rank #41,230 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,230
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lithography

Nearest frequency peer: lithography (-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 “loathsome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “loathsome” 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
Key facts for loathsome
PropertyValue
Headwordloathsome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈləʊð.səm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#41,230
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “loathsome”

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).loathsomelands 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 “lithography” (#41,229), “lode” (#41,231), “lightbulb” (#41,228). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “loathsome” is #41,230. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around loathsome (IPA /ˈləʊð.səm/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #41,230 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for loathsome, with forms such as "laothsome", "lloathsome", and "loahtsome". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lothsum, from Old English *lāþsum, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþasam, equivalent to loath + -some. Cognate with Middle Low German lêtsam (“arduous”), German leidsam (“sad, sorry”). The correct English form is loathsome, spelled L-O-A-T-H-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Come on my Lords the better foot before, / Straight vvill I bring you to the lothſome pit, / VVhere I eſpied the Panther faſt a ſleepe.
  2. That grave but yesterday received one who was to have been his bride—his betrothed from childhood for whose sake he had been to far lands and gathered much wealth, but who had pined in his absence and died. He flung himself on the loathsome place, and the night-wind bore around the ravings of his despair.

Etymology

From Middle English lothsum, from Old English *lāþsum, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþasam, equivalent to loath + -some. Cognate with Middle Low German lêtsam (“arduous”), German leidsam (“sad, sorry”).

This word in other languages

aborrecible(Español)odieux(Français)ekelhaft(Deutsch)nojento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • laothsome
  • lloathsome
  • loahtsome
  • loathhsome
  • loathosme
  • loathsmoe
  • loathsoem
  • loathsomme
  • loathssome
  • loatshome
  • loatthsome
  • lotahsome
  • olathsome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

laothsome2lloathsome1loahtsome2loathhsome1loathosme2loathsmoe2loathsoem2loathsomme1
Edit distance from "loathsome"

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 "loathsome"?
"loathsome" is spelled L-O-A-T-H-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊð.səm/.
What does "loathsome" mean?
As an adjective, "loathsome" means: Highly offensive; abominable, sickening.
What are common misspellings of "loathsome"?
Common misspellings include "laothsome", "lloathsome", "loahtsome", "loathhsome", "loathosme". The correct spelling is "loathsome".
How do you pronounce "loathsome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loathsome" is /ˈləʊð.səm/. 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 "loathsome"?
From Middle English lothsum, from Old English *lāþsum, from Proto-West Germanic *laiþasam, equivalent to loath + -some. Cognate with Middle Low German lêtsam (“arduous”), German leidsam (“sad, sorry”). 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 "loathsome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lightbulb#41,228Masterson#41,242Knightley#41,217matriarch#41,243

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

McClelland13 variantsNewtonian13 variantsgrunting13 variantspheromone13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list