ligand

\li.ɡɑ̃\

/\li.ɡɑ̃\/ noun

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Atome ou groupe d’atomes lié à un atome central, généralement métallique, dans une entité moléculaire polyatomique.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ligand · ligand · French

ligand · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "L" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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 ligand
PropertyValue
Headwordligand
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\li.ɡɑ̃\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « ligand » en français

ligandsiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

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

Rare enough to double-check

ligand is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed \li.ɡɑ̃\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for ligand, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is ligand, spelled L-I-G-A-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Atome ou groupe d’atomes lié à un atome central, généralement métallique, dans une entité moléculaire polyatomique.
  2. 2
    Molécule qui se lie par complémentarité de structure à un site spécifique d’une protéine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Nos résultats expérimentaux montrent que certains de ces ligands présentent un intérêt potentiel pour l’adjuvantation des vaccins polysaccharidiques, chez l'adulte et chez l'enfant.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "ligand"?
"ligand" is spelled L-I-G-A-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is \li.ɡɑ̃\.
What does "ligand" mean?
As a noun, "ligand" means: Atome ou groupe d’atomes lié à un atome central, généralement métallique, dans une entité moléculaire polyatomique.
How do you pronounce "ligand"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ligand" is \li.ɡɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ligand" come from?
"ligand" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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