loyal
/ˈlɔɪəl/
"loyal" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“loyal” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,141 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #5,141
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | loyal |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈlɔɪəl/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #5,141 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “loyal” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for loyal is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈlɔɪəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,141 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for loyal, with forms such as "lloyal", "loayl", and "loyall". 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, "Loyola", "loyalty", "lol", 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 Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal. The correct English form is loyal, spelled L-O-Y-A-L.
Definition
- 1Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something.
- 2Firm in allegiance to a person or institution; allegiant.
- 3Faithful to a person or cause.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French loyal, from Old French loial, leial, leal, from Latin lēgālis. Doublet of legal and leal.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: lloyal,loayl,loyall,loyla,loyyal,lyoal,olyal
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of loyal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “loyal”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-O-Y-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈlɔɪəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Loyola” - see the side-by-side comparison. loyal vs Loyola
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.