Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell lack

hear itlack/læk/verbRules and real life

What it means: To be without or not have enough of something.

In a sentence: The plant will lack water if you don't give it a drink.

The part people get wrong

Often misspelled as lak or lacke.

Same family: lacks, lacking, lacked, shortage, absence. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Lack” came into English from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German words like “lacken,” meaning ‘to be wanting or missing.’ It has been used since at least the 1200s to talk about something that is absent or not enough.

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You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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