lure

/lʊə/

//lʊə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lure” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,738 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,738
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that tempts or attracts, especially one with a promise of reward or pleasure.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

lure vs lux
50% similar
lure vs luv
50% similar
lure vs luz
50% similar

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

Key facts for lure
PropertyValue
Headwordlure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/lʊə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#11,738
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lure” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). lure lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for lure is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lʊə/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,738 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 generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lure, with forms such as "llure", "lrue", and "luer". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lux", "luv", "luz", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman lure, from Old French loirre (Modern French leurre), from Frankish *lōþr, from Proto-Germanic *lōþr-, perhaps ultimately related to *laþō (“invitation, calling”), or from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to hide”). Compare English allure, also… The correct English form is lure, spelled L-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something that tempts or attracts, especially one with a promise of reward or pleasure.
  2. 2
    An artificial bait attached to a fishing line to attract fish.
  3. 3
    A bunch of feathers attached to a line, used in falconry to recall the hawk.
  4. 4
    A velvet smoothing brush.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman lure, from Old French loirre (Modern French leurre), from Frankish *lōþr, from Proto-Germanic *lōþr-, perhaps ultimately related to *laþō (“invitation, calling”), or from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to hide”). Compare English allure, also from Old French. Probably related to German Luder (“bait”).

This word in other languages

cebo(Español)attrait(Français)Lockmittel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: llure,lrue,luer,lurre,ulre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lure - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

llure1lrue2luer2lurre1ulre2
Edit distance from "lure"

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 "lure"?
"lure" is spelled L-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /lʊə/.
What does "lure" mean?
As a noun, "lure" means: Something that tempts or attracts, especially one with a promise of reward or pleasure.
What words are commonly confused with "lure"?
"lure" is commonly confused with "lux", "luv", "luz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lure" is /lʊə/. 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 "lure"?
From Anglo-Norman lure, from Old French loirre (Modern French leurre), from Frankish *lōþr, from Proto-Germanic *lōþr-, perhaps ultimately related to *laþō (“invitation, calling”), or from Proto-Indo-European *leh₂- (“to hide”). Compare English al... 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.

Using “lure”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is L-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /lʊə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “lux” - see the side-by-side comparison. lure vs lux
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list