low

/ˈləʊ/

//ˈləʊ// adj

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

"low" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“low” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #468) as an adjective. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#468
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-low · low · English

low · rank #468 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #468
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 16,425
  • PHOTO-FINISH light

Nearest frequency peer: light (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “low”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “low” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

low vs Lt
0% similar
low vs LP
0% similar
low vs Ls
0% similar

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

Key facts for low
PropertyValue
Headwordlow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈləʊ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#468
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “low” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for low is neighbouring look-alikes ("Lt", "LP", …), not just typos; it is anadjective pronounced /ˈləʊ/. Frequency #468 among 16,425 “L” headwords. 25 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for low, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lt", "LP", "Ls", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Proto-Germanic *lēgaz Old Norse lágrbor. Middle English lāh English low From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low… The correct English form is low, spelled L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
  2. 2
    Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
  3. 3
    Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
  4. 4
    Of less than normal height or upward extent or growth, or of greater than normal depth or recession; below the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
  5. 5
    Of less than normal height or upward extent or growth, or of greater than normal depth or recession; below the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
  6. 6
    Not high in status, esteem, or rank, dignity, or quality. (Compare vulgar.)
  7. 7
    Humble, meek, not haughty.
  8. 8
    Disparaging; assigning little value or excellence.
  9. 9
    Being a nadir, a bottom.
  10. 10
    Depressed in mood, dejected, sad.
  11. 11
    Lacking health or vitality, strength or vivacity; feeble; weak.
  12. 12
    Lacking health or vitality, strength or vivacity; feeble; weak.
  13. 13
    Dead. (Compare lay low.)
  14. 14
    Small, not high (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
  15. 15
    Small, not high (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
  16. 16
    Small, not high (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
  17. 17
    Simple in complexity or development.
  18. 18
    Favoring simplicity (see e.g. low church, Low Tory).
  19. 19
    Being near the equator.
  20. 20
    Grave in pitch, due to being produced by relatively slow vibrations (wave oscillations); flat.
  21. 21
    Quiet; soft; not loud.
  22. 22
    Made with a relatively large opening between the tongue and the palate; made with (part of) the tongue positioned low in the mouth, relative to the palate.
  23. 23
    Lesser in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
  24. 24
    Not rich or seasoned; offering the minimum of nutritional requirements; plain, simple.
  25. 25
    Designed for a slow (or the slowest) speed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. standing on low ground
  2. in a low valley, ringed by low hills

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Proto-Germanic *lēgaz Old Norse lágrbor. Middle English lāh English low From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse lágr (“low”), from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz (“lying, flat, situated near the ground, low”), from Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- (“to lie”). Cognate with Scots laich (“low”), Saterland Frisian läich (“low”), West Frisian leech (“low”), Dutch laag (“low”), obsolete German läg (“low”), German Low German leeg, leeg' (“low”), Danish lav (“low”), Faroese, Icelandic lágur (“low”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, Swedish låg (“low”). More at lie.

Synonyms

Synonyms: immoralabjectscummyscurvy

This word in other languages

bajo(Español)bas(Français)niedrig(Deutsch)baixo(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "low"?
"low" is spelled L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈləʊ/.
What does "low" mean?
As an adjective, "low" means: Situated close to, or even below, the ground or another normal reference plane; not high or lofty.
What words are commonly confused with "low"?
"low" is commonly confused with "Lt", "LP", "Ls". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "low"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "low" is /ˈləʊ/. 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 "low"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *legʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *légʰyeti Proto-Germanic *ligjaną Proto-Germanic *lēgaz Old Norse lágrbor. Middle English lāh English low From Middle English lowe, lohe, lāh, from Old Norse ... 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 "low", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

age#475buy#476saw#459red#480
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list