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lotus

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "lotus", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "lotus" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "lotus" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

lotus is aEnglishnoun. It means: A kind of aquatic plant, genus Nelumbo in the family Nelumbonaceae. Pronounced /ˈloʊtəs/. Often confused with Lou and loud.

Key facts for lotus
PropertyValue
Headwordlotus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈloʊtəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,633
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of lotus in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for lotus is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈloʊtəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,633 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for lotus, with forms such as "llotus", "lotsu", and "lottus". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lou", "loud", "Louis", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin lōtus, from Ancient Greek λωτός (lōtós). Doublet of lote. First attested in the 1540s Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is lotus, spelled L-O-T-U-S, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of aquatic plant, genus Nelumbo in the family Nelumbonaceae.
  2. 2
    A water lily, genus Nymphaea, especially those of Egypt or India.
  3. 3
    A legendary plant eaten by the Lotophagi of the Odyssey that caused drowsiness and euphoria.
  4. 4
    A number of other plants bearing lotus in their scientific or common names (see Derived terms below).
  5. 5
    A number of other plants bearing lotus in their scientific or common names (see Derived terms below).
  6. 6
    A number of other plants bearing lotus in their scientific or common names (see Derived terms below).
  7. 7
    An architectural motif of ancient Egyptian temples.
  8. 8
    Ellipsis of lotus position.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin lōtus, from Ancient Greek λωτός (lōtós). Doublet of lote. First attested in the 1540s

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: llotus,lotsu,lottus,lotuss,louts,ltous,oltus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for lotus

Misspelling Variants of "lotus"

llotus6lotsu5lottus6lotuss6louts5ltous5oltus5
Misspelling Variants of "lotus"

Frequency rank: #12,633 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lotus"?
"lotus" is spelled L-O-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈloʊtəs/.
What does "lotus" mean?
As a noun, "lotus" means: A kind of aquatic plant, genus Nelumbo in the family Nelumbonaceae.
What words are commonly confused with "lotus"?
"lotus" is commonly confused with "Lou", "loud", "Louis". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lotus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lotus" is /ˈloʊtəs/. 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 "lotus"?
Unadapted borrowing from Latin lōtus, from Ancient Greek λωτός (lōtós). Doublet of lote. First attested in the 1540s 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.