luster

/ˈlʌstɚ/

//ˈlʌstɚ// noun

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

"luster" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“luster” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,486. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,486
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-luster · luster · English

luster · rank #30,486 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,486
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lloyds

Nearest frequency peer: Lloyds (-2 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 “luster”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “luster” 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).

luster vs lute
67% similar
luster vs lusty
67% similar
luster vs Luther
50% similar

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

Key facts for luster
PropertyValue
Headwordluster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈlʌstɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,486
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “luster”

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).lusterlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Lloyds” (#30,484), “Madeira” (#30,488), “maduro” (#30,489). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “luster” is #30,486. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around luster (IPA /ˈlʌstɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,486 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for luster, with forms such as "lluster", "lsuter", and "lusetr". 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, "lute", "lusty", "Luther", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro, from Old Italian lustrare (“brighten”), from Latin lūstrō (“to purify, to brighten”), from Latin lūstrum (“purification ritual”). The correct English form is luster, spelled L-U-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
  2. 2
    The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
  3. 3
    Shining light from within, luminosity, brightness, shine.
  4. 4
    Shining beauty, splendor, attractiveness or attraction.
  5. 5
    Shining fame, renown, glory.
  6. 6
    Polish, social refinement.
  7. 7
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  8. 8
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  9. 9
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  10. 10
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  11. 11
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  12. 12
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  13. 13
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly
  14. 14
    A thing exhibiting luster, particularly

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. metallic luster
  2. pearly luster

Etymology

From Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro, from Old Italian lustrare (“brighten”), from Latin lūstrō (“to purify, to brighten”), from Latin lūstrum (“purification ritual”).

Antonyms

dullness

This word in other languages

lustre(Español)lustre(Français)Glanz(Deutsch)lustre(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • lluster
  • lsuter
  • lusetr
  • lusster
  • lusterr
  • lustter
  • lutser

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

lluster1lsuter2lusetr2lusster1lusterr1lustter1lutser2
Edit distance from "luster"

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 "luster"?
"luster" is spelled L-U-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈlʌstɚ/.
What does "luster" mean?
As a noun, "luster" means: The ability or condition of shining with reflected light; sheen, gleam, gloss, sparkle, shine, etc.
What words are commonly confused with "luster"?
"luster" is commonly confused with "lute", "lusty", "Luther". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "luster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "luster" is /ˈlʌstɚ/. 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 "luster"?
From Middle French lustre, from Old Italian lustro, from Old Italian lustrare (“brighten”), from Latin lūstrō (“to purify, to brighten”), from Latin lūstrum (“purification ritual”). 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 "luster", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Lloyds#30,484maduro#30,489Kazakh#30,471jester#30,465

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Maris7 variantskites7 variantsfleur7 variantsprune7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list