lodestar

/ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)/

//ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)// noun

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

"lodestar" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lodestar” is uncommon English (frequency #95,085 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,085
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lodestar · lodestar · English

lodestar · rank #95,085 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,085
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH longhand

Nearest frequency peer: longhand (+3 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.

Long-tail ranks near “lodestar”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “lodestar” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lodestar
PropertyValue
Headwordlodestar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)/
Letters8
Frequency rank#95,085
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lodestar” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “longhand” (#95,088), “lorn” (#95,089), “Lilienthal” (#95,080). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lodestar” is #95,085. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lodestar is uncommon English at frequency #95,085 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for lodestar in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lode (“journey, course”) + star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey”), related to lead. Other Middle English spellings include: 14th century loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne; and 15th century lode st… The correct English form is lodestar, spelled L-O-D-E-S-T-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.
  2. 2
    A guiding tenet or principle.
  3. 3
    A calculated amount to award as attorney's fees derived by multiplying the reasonable number of hours spent working on a case by the reasonable hourly billing rate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Tho when her ways he could no more descry, But to and fro at disaventure strayd; Like as a ship, whose lodestarre, suddenly Covered with cloudes, her pilot hath dismayd
  2. He was no wavering mariner; he had taken his course from a single lodestar, by which he had steered from the first day he had seen it in his heavens — the lodestar that had shone for him and would always shine.

Etymology

From Middle English lode (“journey, course”) + star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey”), related to lead. Other Middle English spellings include: 14th century loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne; and 15th century lode sterre. Cognate with Old Norse leiðarstjarna, Dutch leidster, German Leitstern, Danish ledestjerne, Swedish ledstjärna.

Synonyms

cynosureguiding star

This word in other languages

étoile polaire(Français)Leitstern(Deutsch)

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 "lodestar"?
"lodestar" is spelled L-O-D-E-S-T-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)/.
What does "lodestar" mean?
As a noun, "lodestar" means: A star used as a navigation reference, particularly a pole star such as Polaris.
How do you pronounce "lodestar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lodestar" is /ˈləʊd.stɑː(ɹ)/. 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 "lodestar"?
From Middle English lode (“journey, course”) + star, where lode is an archaic noun from the verb lithe (“to go, journey”), related to lead. Other Middle English spellings include: 14th century loode sterre, lood-sterre, lade-sterne; and 15th centu... 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 "lodestar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

longhand#95,088lifeform#95,078lynchpin#95,093MacPhail#95,099

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list