loong

/lʊŋ/

//lʊŋ// noun

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

"loong" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“loong” is uncommon English (frequency #65,275 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,275
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Chinese dragon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-loong · loong · English

loong · rank #65,275 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #65,275
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH localism

Nearest frequency peer: localism (-2 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 “loong”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for loong
PropertyValue
Headwordloong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lʊŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#65,275
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “loong” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).loongfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “localism” (#65,273), “Lucero” (#65,277), “loaner” (#65,272). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “loong” is #65,275. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

loong is uncommon English at frequency #65,275 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /lʊŋ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A Chinese dragon.".

Zero misspellings are on record for loong in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Mandarin 龍 /龙 (lóng). This spelling is used to differentiate the word from long. The correct English form is loong, spelled L-O-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Chinese dragon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Rivers and lakes are where fish and loong (dragons) live.

Etymology

Borrowed from Mandarin 龍 /龙 (lóng). This spelling is used to differentiate the word from long.

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 "loong"?
"loong" is spelled L-O-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /lʊŋ/.
What does "loong" mean?
As a noun, "loong" means: A Chinese dragon.
How do you pronounce "loong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loong" is /lʊŋ/. 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 "loong"?
Borrowed from Mandarin 龍 /龙 (lóng). This spelling is used to differentiate the word from long. 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 "loong", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lavin#65,255Mazur#65,296meads#65,300Kozak#65,245

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list