# mumps vs mums

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mumps
*noun · IPA /mʌmps/ · frequency rank #36,683*
A contagious disease caused by the Mumps virus of the genus Rubulavirus, mostly occurring in childhood, which causes swelling of glands in the face and neck.

### mums
*noun · IPA /mʌmz/ · frequency rank #18,138*
plural of mum

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mumps-vs-mums