loser

/luːzə(ɹ)/

//luːzə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“loser” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,026. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,026
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.

Corpus desk

Index EN-loser · loser · English

loser · rank #7,026 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,026
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH liquor

Nearest frequency peer: liquor (-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 “loser”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “loser” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

loser vs love
60% similar
loser vs lost
60% similar
loser vs loss
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for loser
PropertyValue
Headwordloser
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/luːzə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,026
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “loser”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).loserlands 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 “liquor” (#7,025), “Malcolm” (#7,027), “Leonard” (#7,024). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “loser” is #7,026. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around loser (IPA /luːzə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,026 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for loser, with forms such as "lloser", "loesr", and "loserr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "love", "lost", "loss", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English loser, losere, equivalent to lose + -er. In the sense of contemptible or worthless individual, perhaps an alteration of losel, which see. The correct English form is loser, spelled L-O-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
  2. 2
    Something of poor quality.
  3. 3
    A person who is frequently unsuccessful in life.
  4. 4
    A contemptible or unfashionable person.
  5. 5
    One who or that which loses something, such as extra weight, car keys, etc.
  6. 6
    A losing proposition, one that is likely to lose or already has lost (such as a losing bet or, analogously, a predictably fruitless task or errand).
  7. 7
    A person convicted of a crime, especially more than once.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In a two-horse race there is always one winner and one loser.
  2. He was always a good loser.

Etymology

From Middle English loser, losere, equivalent to lose + -er. In the sense of contemptible or worthless individual, perhaps an alteration of losel, which see.

This word in other languages

perdedor(Español)perdant(Français)Verlierer(Deutsch)falhado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lloser
  • loesr
  • loserr
  • losre
  • losser
  • lsoer
  • olser

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of loser - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

lloser1loesr2loserr1losre2losser1lsoer2olser2
Edit distance from "loser"

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 "loser"?
"loser" is spelled L-O-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /luːzə(ɹ)/.
What does "loser" mean?
As a noun, "loser" means: A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
What words are commonly confused with "loser"?
"loser" is commonly confused with "love", "lost", "loss". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "loser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "loser" is /luːzə(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 "loser"?
From Middle English loser, losere, equivalent to lose + -er. In the sense of contemptible or worthless individual, perhaps an alteration of losel, which see. 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 "loser", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

legit#7,023Leeds#7,022Derek#7,005pulls#7,047

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

goddess7 variantsseller7 variantssheer7 variantsurged7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list