How to spell ladies

hear itla·dies/'leɪdiz/nounLong vowels

What it means: Women, especially when referred to collectively.

In a sentence: The ladies went to the park for a picnic.

The part people get wrong

Watch for the order of ie. Often misspelled as ladys or ladyies.

Same family: lady, ladylike, ladies’ (possessive), woman, women. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: Ladies is the plural of lady, a word that comes from Old English “hlæfdige,” which originally meant a woman of high rank who was the head of a household. Over time, its meaning broadened to refer politely to women in general.

Patterns it uses: i before e?

Try spelling it

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.

Words like this

piece · valentine · lie · belie · fried · tie · applied · cried

Spelling.School is a spaced-repetition spelling practice: ten minutes a day, every word spoken aloud, every miss explained, and every word coming back just before you would forget it. Try five words without signing up.