lynx
/lɪŋks/
"lynx" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“lynx” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #26,871 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #26,871
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several medium-sized wild cats of the genus Lynx.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | lynx |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /lɪŋks/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #26,871 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “lynx” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for lynx is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /lɪŋks/. Corpus data places it at rank #26,871 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Any of several medium-sized wild cats of the genus Lynx.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for lynx, with forms such as "llynx", "lnyx", and "lynnx". 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, "Lyon", "lyra", "lyre", 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 English lynx, linx, lenx, lynce, from Latin lynx, from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx), from Proto-Hellenic *lúnks, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“white; light; bright”), because of the cat's glowing eyes and ability to see in the dark. Displaced E… The correct English form is lynx, spelled L-Y-N-X.
Definition
- 1Any of several medium-sized wild cats of the genus Lynx.
Etymology
From Middle English lynx, linx, lenx, lynce, from Latin lynx, from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx), from Proto-Hellenic *lúnks, from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- (“white; light; bright”), because of the cat's glowing eyes and ability to see in the dark. Displaced English los; Middle English lusk (“lynx”), from Old English lox (“lynx”) as the animal died out in Britain during the Middle Ages.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: llynx,lnyx,lynnx,lynxx,lyxn,lyynx,ylnx
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lynx - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “lynx”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is L-Y-N-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /lɪŋks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Lyon” - see the side-by-side comparison. lynx vs Lyon
- 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.