lol

\lɔl\

/\lɔl\/ intj

The verdict

“lol” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #2,626 in French word frequency and used as an interjection.

#2,626
frequency rank, French
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Formule qui est principalement utilisée à l’écrit (par Internet puis par SMS) et qui indique que son auteur est en train de rire ou est très amusé.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

lol vs Lu
0% similar
lol vs LR
0% similar
lol vs LT
0% similar

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

Key facts for lol
PropertyValue
Headwordlol
LanguageFrench
Part of speechInterjection
IPA\lɔl\
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,626
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “lol” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). lol lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for lol is 3 letters long, classified as an interjection, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \lɔl\. Corpus data places it at rank #2,626 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Formule qui est principalement utilisée à l’écrit (par Internet puis par SMS) et qui indique que son auteur est en train de rire ou est très amusé.".

Zero misspellings are on record for lol in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Lu", "LR", "LT", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is lol, spelled L-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Formule qui est principalement utilisée à l’écrit (par Internet puis par SMS) et qui indique que son auteur est en train de rire ou est très amusé.

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); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "lol"?
"lol" is spelled L-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is \lɔl\.
What does "lol" mean?
As an interjection, "lol" means: Formule qui est principalement utilisée à l’écrit (par Internet puis par SMS) et qui indique que son auteur est en train de rire ou est très amusé.
What words are commonly confused with "lol"?
"lol" is commonly confused with "Lu", "LR", "LT". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lol" is \lɔl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "lol" come from?
"lol" 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.

Using “lol”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is L-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \lɔl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Lu” - see the side-by-side comparison. lol vs Lu
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list