non-lemma

noun

"non-lemma" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“non-lemma” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any form of a lexeme that is not its lemma.

Corpus desk

Index EN-non-lemma · non-lemma · English

non-lemma · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for non-lemma
PropertyValue
Headwordnon-lemma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “non-lemma” in English

non-lemmasits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

non-lemma is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any form of a lexeme that is not its lemma.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for non-lemma, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From non- + lemma. The correct English form is non-lemma, spelled N-O-N---L-E-M-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any form of a lexeme that is not its lemma.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. According to Schmauder (1991) they had a narrow range of frequency of occurrence (our nonlemma count yields an average of 68; Francis & Kucera, 1982).
  2. Prep. … Prenominal adjectives … Non lemmas … Basque multiword … English multiwords … English unknown … Others 11% … 21% … 7% … 5% … 17% … 16% … 21%

Etymology

From non- + lemma.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "non-lemma"?
"non-lemma" is spelled N-O-N---L-E-M-M-A.
What does "non-lemma" mean?
As a noun, "non-lemma" means: Any form of a lexeme that is not its lemma.
What is the origin of the word "non-lemma"?
From non- + lemma. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list