lossy

/ˈlɒsi/

//ˈlɒsi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“lossy” is uncommon English (frequency #63,053 among 2,297 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,053
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a communication channel, subject to loss of signal strength.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lossy · lossy · English

lossy · rank #63,053 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,053
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH LPN

Nearest frequency peer: LPN (+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 “lossy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for lossy
PropertyValue
Headwordlossy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈlɒsi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,053
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “lossy” 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).lossyfalls 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: “LPN” (#63,055), “Llorente” (#63,049), “Lukashenko” (#63,057). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lossy” is #63,053. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

lossy is uncommon English at frequency #63,053 among 2,297 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈlɒsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for lossy in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From loss + -y. The correct English form is lossy, spelled L-O-S-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a communication channel, subject to loss of signal strength.
  2. 2
    Of an electricity transmission line, subject to various forms of power loss.
  3. 3
    Of an algorithm for converting or compressing data, reducing the amount of information in data.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. JPEG is a lossy image compression format.

Etymology

From loss + -y.

Antonyms

lossless

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 "lossy"?
"lossy" is spelled L-O-S-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɒsi/.
What does "lossy" mean?
As an adjective, "lossy" means: Of a communication channel, subject to loss of signal strength.
How do you pronounce "lossy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lossy" is /ˈlɒsi/. 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 "lossy"?
From loss + -y. 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 "lossy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Kuang#63,033Kosta#63,029ketch#63,024kazoo#63,020

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list