lotus

/ˈloʊtəs/

//ˈloʊtəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lotus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,633. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,633
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 kind of aquatic plant, genus Nelumbo in the family Nelumbonaceae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lotus · lotus · English

lotus · rank #12,633 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,633
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lord's

Nearest frequency peer: Lord's (-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 “lotus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lotus” 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).

lotus vs Lou
40% similar
lotus vs loud
60% similar
lotus vs Louis
40% similar

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

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 seat of misspelling magnet “lotus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).lotuslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Lord's” (#12,632), “luna” (#12,634), “loosely” (#12,631). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lotus” is #12,633. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around lotus (IPA /ˈloʊtəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,633 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lotus, with forms such as "llotus", "lotsu", and "lottus". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lou", "loud", "Louis", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from Latin lōtus, from Ancient Greek λωτός (lōtós). Doublet of lote. First attested in the 1540s The correct English form is lotus, spelled L-O-T-U-S.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Since the '60s ended abruptly on January 1, 1970, everyone, protestors, police and all, fell to the ground in a full lotus.

Etymology

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

This word in other languages

loto(Español)lotus(Français)Hornklee(Deutsch)lótus(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llotus
  • lotsu
  • lottus
  • lotuss
  • louts
  • ltous
  • oltus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lotus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

llotus1lotsu2lottus1lotuss1louts2ltous2oltus2
Edit distance from "lotus"

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 "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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "lotus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mails#12,635Malik#12,636paddy#12,649paved#12,651

Similar misspelling depth

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

gamer7 variantsridden7 variantsdebit7 variantsClive7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list