moltenvsMortonWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: molten is a adjective, Morton is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“molten” is an adjective and “Morton” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,896
“molten” frequency rank
#12,277
“Morton” frequency rank
31173
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature molten Morton
Definition Melted, especially due to great heat Any of several places of that name (or Moreton) meaning "settlement near a moor or marsh", or named after people.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set molten and Morton apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
molten
6 ch
Morton

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: molten is /ˈmɒltən/ while Morton is [ˈmɔːtn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

molten is recorded at frequency rank #18,896, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɒltən/. Morton is at rank #12,277, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈmɔːtn̩].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 31173, this pair ranks #348,384 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of molten vs Morton

Shared letters: mnot. Private to "molten": el. Private to "Morton": r.

"molten" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Morton" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • moltenmloten · mmolten · moletn · mollten · moltenn · moltne · moltten · motlen
  • Mortonmmorton · morotn · morrton · mortno · mortonn · mortton · motron · mroton

Frequency comparison

molten#18,896
Morton#12,277

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "molten" and "Morton" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "molten" is an adjective and "Morton" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "molten" or "Morton"?
"Morton" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,277 in our English list, against #18,896 for "molten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering molten vs Morton

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “molten”; for a name, it's “Morton”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “molten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list