lung

/ˈlʌŋ/

//ˈlʌŋ// noun

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

"lung" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“lung” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,070. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,070
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lung · lung · English

lung · rank #6,070 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,070
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH loading

Nearest frequency peer: loading (-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 “lung”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lung” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

lung vs lux
50% similar
lung vs luv
50% similar
lung vs lyn
50% similar

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

Key facts for lung
PropertyValue
Headwordlung
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlʌŋ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,070
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lung”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).lunglands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “loading” (#6,069), “matching” (#6,071), “lifted” (#6,068). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lung” is #6,070. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around lung (IPA /ˈlʌŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,070 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for lung, with forms such as "llung", "lnug", and "lugn". 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, "lux", "luv", "lyn", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, an enlargement of *lungô (“the light organ, lung”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch long, Germ… The correct English form is lung, spelled L-U-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.
  2. 2
    Capacity for exercise or exertion; breath.
  3. 3
    That which supplies oxygen or fresh air, such as trees, parklands, forest, etc., to a place.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I made a speaking trumpet of my hands and commenced to whoop “Ahoy!” and “Hello!” at the top of my lungs. […] The Colonel woke up, and, after asking what in brimstone was the matter, opened his mouth and roared “Hi!” and “Hello!” like the bull of Bashan.
  2. He no longer has the lungs to play long rallies like he used to.

Etymology

From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, an enlargement of *lungô (“the light organ, lung”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch long, German Lunge, Danish lunge, Norwegian lunge, Swedish lunga, Icelandic lunga, and also Russian лёгкое (ljóxkoje) (lung), Ancient Greek ἐλαφρός (elaphrós, “light in weight”) and perhaps Albanian lungë (“blister, bulge”). Compare Latin levis and Old English lēoht (Modern English light). See also lights (“lungs”). Superseded non-native Middle English pomoun (“lung”), borrowed from Old French poumon, pomon (“lung”).

Synonyms

bellowslights

This word in other languages

pulmón(Español)poumon(Français)Lunge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llung
  • lnug
  • lugn
  • lungg
  • lunng
  • ulng

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lung - 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.

llung1lnug2lugn2lungg1lunng1ulng2
Edit distance from "lung"

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 "lung"?
"lung" is spelled L-U-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlʌŋ/.
What does "lung" mean?
As a noun, "lung" means: A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.
What words are commonly confused with "lung"?
"lung" is commonly confused with "lux", "luv", "lyn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lung"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lung" is /ˈlʌŋ/. 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 "lung"?
From Middle English lunge, longe, from Old English lungen, from Proto-Germanic *lunganjō, an enlargement of *lungô (“the light organ, lung”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lengʷʰ-, whence ultimately also light. Cognate with West Frisian long, Dutch ... 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 "lung", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

iPad#6,063pine#6,080pose#6,084pour#6,085

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

polls6 variantsDennis6 variantscliff6 variantsbooth6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list