lonesome

/ˈləʊnsəm/

//ˈləʊnsəm// adj

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

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

The verdict

“lonesome” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,824. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,824
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lonesome · lonesome · English

lonesome · rank #25,824 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,824
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH LJ

Nearest frequency peer: LJ (-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 “lonesome”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lonesome” 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 lonesome
PropertyValue
Headwordlonesome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈləʊnsəm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,824
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lonesome”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lonesomelands 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 “LJ” (#25,823), “lis” (#25,822), “lug” (#25,826). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lonesome” is #25,824. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around lonesome (IPA /ˈləʊnsəm/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,824 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for lonesome, with forms such as "llonesome", "lnoesome", and "loensome". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From lone + -some, mid-17th century. The correct English form is lonesome, spelled L-O-N-E-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 'Where'er the sun shakes out his spears, and the lonesome waters mirror up the moon, where'er storms roll [...] there shall thy power pass and thy dominion find a home.'

Etymology

From lone + -some, mid-17th century.

This word in other languages

solitario(Español)solitaire(Français)einsam(Deutsch)solitário(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llonesome
  • lnoesome
  • loensome
  • loneosme
  • lonesmoe
  • lonesoem
  • lonesomme
  • lonessome
  • lonnesome
  • lonseome
  • olnesome

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

llonesome1lnoesome2loensome2loneosme2lonesmoe2lonesoem2lonesomme1lonessome1
Edit distance from "lonesome"

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 "lonesome"?
"lonesome" is spelled L-O-N-E-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊnsəm/.
What does "lonesome" mean?
As an adjective, "lonesome" means: Unhappy due to being alone; lonely.
What are common misspellings of "lonesome"?
Common misspellings include "llonesome", "lnoesome", "loensome", "loneosme", "lonesmoe". The correct spelling is "lonesome".
How do you pronounce "lonesome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lonesome" is /ˈləʊnsəm/. 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 "lonesome"?
From lone + -some, mid-17th century. 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 "lonesome", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lukewarm#25,827Monmouth#25,848obstruct#25,862Gillette#25,773

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

illogical11 variantsfuselage11 variantsFlemish11 variantsredefine11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list