ludicrous

/ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/

//ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs// adj

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

"ludicrous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ludicrous” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,614. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,614
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ludicrous · ludicrous · English

ludicrous · rank #18,614 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,614
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maharashtra

Nearest frequency peer: Maharashtra (+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 “ludicrous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ludicrous” 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
Key facts for ludicrous
PropertyValue
Headwordludicrous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,614
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ludicrous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ludicrouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Maharashtra” (#18,615), “loom” (#18,612), “maize” (#18,616). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “ludicrous” is #18,614. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around ludicrous (IPA /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #18,614 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for ludicrous, with forms such as "lduicrous", "lludicrous", and "ludcirous". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin lūdicrus. First attested in 1619. The correct English form is ludicrous, spelled L-U-D-I-C-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He made a ludicrous attempt to run for office.
  2. Now all this was very fine, but not at all in keeping with the Celebrity's character as I had come to conceive it. The idea that adulation ever cloyed on him was ludicrous in itself. In fact I thought the whole story fishy, and came very near to saying so.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lūdicrus. First attested in 1619.

This word in other languages

irrisorio(Español)absurde(Français)aberwitzig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lduicrous
  • lludicrous
  • ludcirous
  • luddicrous
  • ludiccrous
  • ludicorus
  • ludicrosu
  • ludicrouss
  • ludicrrous
  • ludicruos
  • ludircous
  • luidcrous
  • uldicrous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ludicrous - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

lduicrous2lludicrous1ludcirous2luddicrous1ludiccrous1ludicorus2ludicrosu2ludicrouss1
Edit distance from "ludicrous"

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 "ludicrous"?
"ludicrous" is spelled L-U-D-I-C-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/.
What does "ludicrous" mean?
As an adjective, "ludicrous" means: Idiotic or unthinkable, often to the point of being funny; amusing by being plainly incongruous or absurd.
What are common misspellings of "ludicrous"?
Common misspellings include "lduicrous", "lludicrous", "ludcirous", "luddicrous", "ludiccrous". The correct spelling is "ludicrous".
How do you pronounce "ludicrous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ludicrous" is /ˈluː.dɪ.kɹəs/. 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 "ludicrous"?
Learned borrowing from Latin lūdicrus. First attested in 1619. 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 "ludicrous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

infirmary#18,588hindsight#18,578persisted#18,651Griffiths#18,573

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

sculptor13 variantsdeceptive13 variantsStockton13 variantsunaffected13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list