Luddite
/ˈlʌ.daɪt/
"luddite" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Luddite” is uncommon English (frequency #71,669 among 16,425 “L” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #71,669
- frequency rank, English
- 16,425
- “L” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a group of early-19th-century English textile workers who destroyed machinery because it would harm their livelihood.
Corpus desk
Index EN-luddite · Luddite · English
Luddite · rank #71,669 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #71,669
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 16,425
- PHOTO-FINISH Lusted
Nearest frequency peer: Lusted (+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 “Luddite”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- Livings
Livings
28,339 corpus weight
- LORAN
LORAN
28,338 corpus weight
- Luddite
Luddite
28,332 corpus weight
- Lusted
Lusted
28,331 corpus weight
- lymphoblast…
lymphoblastic
28,330 corpus weight
- Madhav
Madhav
28,327 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “Luddite” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Luddite |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈlʌ.daɪt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #71,669 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Luddite” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
Luddite is uncommon English at frequency #71,669 among 16,425 “L” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈlʌ.daɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for Luddite in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Named after Ned Ludd, a legendary 18th century example, + -ite. The surname is uncommon and of uncertain origin, but compare Old English hlud (“loud, famous”). The correct English form is Luddite, spelled L-U-D-D-I-T-E.
Definition
- 1Any of a group of early-19th-century English textile workers who destroyed machinery because it would harm their livelihood.
- 2Someone who opposes technological change.
- 3One who lives among nature, forsaking technology.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how Luddite appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
For instance, the Luddites, so maligned as technology-fearing machine breakers, were a highly sophisticated insurrectionary movement, composed of small, well-disciplined groups who used disguises and watchwords, raised funds and gathered arms, terrorized their opponents, and carried out well-planned, targeted attacks. (And, while it is true the Luddite mo…
[Benjamin Friedman] added, "How long does it take the Luddites to be wrong — a few years, a decade, a couple of decades?" Perhaps just as important, what happens to the workers who happen to be living during a time when the Luddite argument has some truth to it?
Etymology
Named after Ned Ludd, a legendary 18th century example, + -ite. The surname is uncommon and of uncertain origin, but compare Old English hlud (“loud, famous”).
This word in other languages
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 "Luddite"?
What does "Luddite" mean?
How do you pronounce "Luddite"?
What is the origin of the word "Luddite"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Luddite", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency 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.