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lunge

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "lunge", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "lunge" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "lunge" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

lunge is aEnglishnoun. It means: A sudden forward movement, especially with a sword. Pronounced /lʌnd͡ʒ/. Often confused with lure and luxe.

Key facts for lunge
PropertyValue
Headwordlunge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lʌnd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,970
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of lunge in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for lunge is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lʌnd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,970 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for lunge, with forms such as "llunge", "lnuge", and "lugne". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lure", "luxe", "Lupe", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French allonge, from Old French alonge, from alongier, from Vulgar Latin *allongare, from ad + Late Latin longare, from Latin longus. Doublet of allonge. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is lunge, spelled L-U-N-G-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sudden forward movement, especially with a sword.
  2. 2
    A long rope or flat web line, more commonly referred to as a lunge line, approximately 20–30 feet long, attached to the bridle, lungeing cavesson, or halter of a horse and used to control the animal while lungeing.
  3. 3
    An exercise performed by stepping forward one leg while kneeling with the other leg, then returning to a standing position.
  4. 4
    A fish, the namaycush.

Etymology

From French allonge, from Old French alonge, from alongier, from Vulgar Latin *allongare, from ad + Late Latin longare, from Latin longus. Doublet of allonge.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: llunge,lnuge,lugne,luneg,lungge,lunnge,ulnge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for lunge

Misspelling Variants of "lunge"

llunge6lnuge5lugne5luneg5lungge6lunnge6ulnge5
Misspelling Variants of "lunge"

Frequency rank: #34,970 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lunge"?
"lunge" is spelled L-U-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /lʌnd͡ʒ/.
What does "lunge" mean?
As a noun, "lunge" means: A sudden forward movement, especially with a sword.
What words are commonly confused with "lunge"?
"lunge" is commonly confused with "lure", "luxe", "Lupe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lunge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lunge" is /lʌnd͡ʒ/. 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 "lunge"?
From French allonge, from Old French alonge, from alongier, from Vulgar Latin *allongare, from ad + Late Latin longare, from Latin longus. Doublet of allonge. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter L in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.