Meanings
nounLevenshtein distance (countable and uncountable, plural Levenshtein distances)
plural Levenshtein distances
- countableuncountablecomputerThe number of edits (replacements, deletions and insertions) required to change one string into another.
Origin
From Levenshtein + distance, after the Russian mathematician Vladimir Levenshtein.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Czech Levenshteinova vzdálenost
- Levenshteinova vzdálenost(computer science) the number of edits required to change one string into another
Polish odległość Levenshteina
- odległość Levenshteina(computer science) the number of edits required to change one string into another
Cite this entry
APA
Levenshtein distance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Levenshtein%20distance
MLA
“Levenshtein distance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Levenshtein%20distance. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Levenshtein distance,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Levenshtein%20distance.
Source: Levenshtein distance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.