lottery

/ˈlɒtəɹi/

//ˈlɒtəɹi// noun

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

"lottery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lottery” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,154. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,154
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lottery · lottery · English

lottery · rank #7,154 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,154
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Louise

Nearest frequency peer: Louise (+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 “lottery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lottery” 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).

lottery vs lowery
71% similar
lottery vs lotte
71% similar
lottery vs letter
71% similar

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

Key facts for lottery
PropertyValue
Headwordlottery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlɒtəɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,154
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lottery”

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).lotterylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Louise” (#7,155), “leaked” (#7,152), “magnitude” (#7,156). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lottery” is #7,154. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around lottery (IPA /ˈlɒtəɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,154 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for lottery, with forms such as "llottery", "lotery", and "lotetry". 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. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "lowery", "lotte", "letter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian lotteria, from the same root as Old English hlot (cognate with English lot). Compare French loterie (from Middle Dutch loterie). By surface analysis, lot + -ery. The correct English form is lottery, spelled L-O-T-T-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.
  2. 2
    Something decided by chance.
  3. 3
    Allotment; a thing allotted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Dave plays the lottery almost every week, but always picks different numbers.
  2. It's a bit of a lottery whether we'll get a good table in that diner.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian lotteria, from the same root as Old English hlot (cognate with English lot). Compare French loterie (from Middle Dutch loterie). By surface analysis, lot + -ery.

This word in other languages

lotería(Español)loterie(Français)Lotterie(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llottery
  • lotery
  • lotetry
  • lotterry
  • lotteryy
  • lotteyr
  • lottrey
  • ltotery
  • olttery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

llottery1lotery1lotetry2lotterry1lotteryy1lotteyr2lottrey2ltotery2
Edit distance from "lottery"

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 "lottery"?
"lottery" is spelled L-O-T-T-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlɒtəɹi/.
What does "lottery" mean?
As a noun, "lottery" means: A scheme for the distribution of prizes by lot or chance, especially a gaming scheme in which one or more tickets bearing particular numbers draw prizes, the other tickets are blanks.
What words are commonly confused with "lottery"?
"lottery" is commonly confused with "lowery", "lotte", "letter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lottery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lottery" is /ˈlɒtəɹi/. 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 "lottery"?
Borrowed from Italian lotteria, from the same root as Old English hlot (cognate with English lot). Compare French loterie (from Middle Dutch loterie). By surface analysis, lot + -ery. 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 "lottery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

interim#7,144inspire#7,142proving#7,171screwed#7,176

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

noting9 variantsorgans9 variantspledge9 variantsportal9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list