Merlin

[mɛʁˈliːn]

/[mɛʁˈliːn]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Merlin” has 9 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #20,667. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,667
frequency rank, German
3,571
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - knapp 30 Zentimeter großer, in Nordeuropa vorkommender Zwergfalke mit spitzen Flügeln und schwarzer Bartbinde am Kopf, graublauem (Männchen) oder braunem (Weibchen) Gefieder auf der Oberseite

Corpus desk

Index DE-merlin · Merlin · German

Merlin · rank #20,667 · 9 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,667
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,571
  • PHOTO-FINISH member

Nearest frequency peer: member (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „Merlin“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „Merlin“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Merlin vs Merzig
67% similar
Merlin vs mein
50% similar
Merlin vs merci
50% similar

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

Key facts for Merlin
PropertyValue
HeadwordMerlin
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[mɛʁˈliːn]
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,667
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Merlin“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.Merlinliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „member“ (#20,666), „miesen“ (#20,668), „Mekka“ (#20,665). Unter 3,571 „M“-Lemmata liegt „Merlin“ bei #20,667. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Merlin (IPA [mɛʁˈliːn]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,667 among 3,571 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "knapp 30 Zentimeter großer, in Nordeuropa vorkommender Zwergfalke mit spitzen Flügeln und schwarzer Bartbinde am Kopf, graublauem (Männchen) oder braunem (Weibchen) Gefieder auf der Oberseite".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Merlin, with forms such as "emrlin", "melrin", and "meriln". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "Merzig", "mein", "merci", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Merlin, spelled M-E-R-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    knapp 30 Zentimeter großer, in Nordeuropa vorkommender Zwergfalke mit spitzen Flügeln und schwarzer Bartbinde am Kopf, graublauem (Männchen) oder braunem (Weibchen) Gefieder auf der Oberseite

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Der Merlin täuscht seine Beutevögel häufig, indem er ihre Flugweise imitiert, um unbemerkt nah heranzukommen.

Synonyms

ZwergfalkeFalco columbarius

This word in other languages

merlin(English)faucon émerillon(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emrlin
  • melrin
  • meriln
  • merlinn
  • merllin
  • merlni
  • merrlin
  • mmerlin
  • mrelin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Merlin - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

emrlin2melrin2meriln2merlinn1merllin1merlni2merrlin1mmerlin1
Edit distance from "Merlin"

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Merlin"?
"Merlin" is spelled M-E-R-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is [mɛʁˈliːn].
What does "Merlin" mean?
As a noun, "Merlin" means: knapp 30 Zentimeter großer, in Nordeuropa vorkommender Zwergfalke mit spitzen Flügeln und schwarzer Bartbinde am Kopf, graublauem (Männchen) oder braunem (Weibchen) Gefieder auf der Oberseite
What words are commonly confused with "Merlin"?
"Merlin" is commonly confused with "Merzig", "mein", "merci". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Merlin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Merlin" is [mɛʁˈliːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Merlin" come from?
"Merlin" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Merlin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

member#20,666miesen#20,668Lilien#20,658Liedes#20,657

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

official9 variantsPapers9 variantsPickel9 variantsJanssen9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list