lowlife

/ˈloʊlaɪf/

//ˈloʊlaɪf// adj

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

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

The verdict

“lowlife” is uncommon English (frequency #53,669 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,669
frequency rank, English
16,425
“L” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Lacking morality.

Key facts for lowlife
PropertyValue
Headwordlowlife
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈloʊlaɪf/
Letters7
Frequency rank#53,669
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lowlife” 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). lowlife lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

lowlife is uncommon English at frequency #53,669 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈloʊlaɪf/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for lowlife, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From low + life. The correct English form is lowlife, spelled L-O-W-L-I-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lacking morality.
  2. 2
    Seemingly mischievous and troublesome to society.

Etymology

From low + life.

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 "lowlife"?
"lowlife" is spelled L-O-W-L-I-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈloʊlaɪf/.
What does "lowlife" mean?
As an adjective, "lowlife" means: Lacking morality.
How do you pronounce "lowlife"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lowlife" is /ˈloʊlaɪf/. 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 "lowlife"?
From low + life. 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.

Using “lowlife”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-O-W-L-I-F-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈloʊlaɪf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list