losel

/ˈləʊzəl/

//ˈləʊzəl// noun

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

The verdict

“losel” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-losel · losel · English

losel · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for losel
PropertyValue
Headwordlosel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈləʊzəl/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “losel” in English

loselsits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

losel is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈləʊzəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.".

losel doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English losel (also lorel), from *losen, loren, past participle of lesen (“to lose”), equivalent to lose + -le. The correct English form is losel, spelled L-O-S-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dowtles such losels Make the churche to be In smale auctoryte; […]
  2. The whiles a losell wandring by the way, / One that to bountie neuer cast his mind, / Ne thought of honour euer did assay […].

Etymology

From Middle English losel (also lorel), from *losen, loren, past participle of lesen (“to lose”), equivalent to lose + -le.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "losel"?
"losel" is spelled L-O-S-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊzəl/.
What does "losel" mean?
As a noun, "losel" means: A worthless or despicable person, scoundrel.
How do you pronounce "losel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "losel" is /ˈləʊzəl/. 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 "losel"?
From Middle English losel (also lorel), from *losen, loren, past participle of lesen (“to lose”), equivalent to lose + -le. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list