lust

/ˈlʌst/

//ˈlʌst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“lust” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,882. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,882
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lust · lust · English

lust · rank #10,882 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,882
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lecturer

Nearest frequency peer: lecturer (-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 “lust”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “lust” 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).

lust vs lux
50% similar
lust vs luv
50% similar
lust vs luz
50% similar

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

Key facts for lust
PropertyValue
Headwordlust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlʌst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,882
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lust”

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).lustlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lecturer” (#10,881), “Marilyn” (#10,883), “Lebanese” (#10,880). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lust” is #10,882. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around lust (IPA /ˈlʌst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,882 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for lust, with forms such as "llust", "lusst", and "lustt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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 Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Icelandic lyst, O… The correct English form is lust, spelled L-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.
  2. 2
    A general want or longing, not necessarily sexual.
  3. 3
    A delightful cause of joy, pleasure.
  4. 4
    Virility; vigour; active power.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Seeing Leslie fills me with a passionate lust.
  2. The boarders hide their lust to go home.

Etymology

From Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Icelandic lyst, Old Norse losti, Gothic 𐌻𐌿𐍃𐍄𐌿𐍃 (lustus), and perhaps to Sanskrit लष् (laṣ), लषति (laṣati, “to desire”) and Albanian lushë (“bitch, savage dog, promiscuous woman”), or to English loose. Compare list (“to please”), listless.

Synonyms

lustihoodpotencyvigourvirilityaphrodisiacarnalitycolt's toothconcupiscencethe hotslechlovelustprideurge to merge

Antonyms

chastityapathyaphanisislustlessness

This word in other languages

lujuria(Español)luxure(Français)Wollust(Deutsch)vontade(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llust
  • lusst
  • lustt
  • luts
  • ulst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lust - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

llust1lusst1lustt1luts2ulst2
Edit distance from "lust"

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 "lust"?
"lust" is spelled L-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlʌst/.
What does "lust" mean?
As a noun, "lust" means: A feeling of strong desire, especially such a feeling driven by sexual arousal.
What words are commonly confused with "lust"?
"lust" 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 "lust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lust" is /ˈlʌst/. 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 "lust"?
From Middle English lust, from Old English lust (“lust, pleasure, longing”), from Proto-West Germanic *lustu, from Proto-Germanic *lustuz. Akin to Old Saxon, Dutch lust, Old Frisian, Old High German, German Lust, Swedish lust, Danish lyst, Iceland... 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 "lust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mayo#10,885knot#10,877Jeep#10,876hulk#10,864

Similar misspelling depth

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

pits5 variantstate5 variantsatom5 variantsants5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list