amok

/əˈmɒk/

//əˈmɒk// adv

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

"amok" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“amok” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #38,278) as an adverb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#38,278
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-amok · amok · English

amok · rank #38,278 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,278
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH amass

Nearest frequency peer: amass (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “amok”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “amok” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

amok vs ao
50% similar
amok vs ask
50% similar
amok vs Amy
25% similar

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

Key facts for amok
PropertyValue
Headwordamok
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/əˈmɒk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#38,278
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “amok”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).amoklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “amass” (#38,277), “Anatolia” (#38,279), “Alsace” (#38,276). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “amok” is #38,278. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for amok is neighbouring look-alikes ("ao", "ask", …), not just typos; it is anadverb pronounced /əˈmɒk/. Frequency #38,278 among 3,931 “A” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for amok, with forms such as "ammok", "amokk", and "aomk". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ao", "ask", "Amy", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa, which wa… The correct English form is amok, spelled A-M-O-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
  2. 2
    In a frenzy of violence, or on a killing spree; berserk.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It is true, I […] might have run “amok” against society; but I preferred that society should run “amok” against me, it being the desperate party.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa, which was translated to English by Henry E. J. Stanley.

This word in other languages

desenfrenado(Español)Amok(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ammok
  • amokk
  • aomk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of amok - 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.

ammok1amokk1aomk2
Edit distance from "amok"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "amok"?
"amok" is spelled A-M-O-K. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈmɒk/.
What does "amok" mean?
As an adverb, "amok" means: Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous.
What words are commonly confused with "amok"?
"amok" is commonly confused with "ao", "ask", "Amy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "amok"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "amok" is /əˈmɒk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "amok"?
Borrowed from Portuguese amouco, from Malay amuk (“to go on a killing spree”). The term first appeared in English around the 16th century, associated with the people of Malaysia and Java, first described in the 1516 text The Book of Duarte Barbosa... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Babs#38,296zing#38,255wook#38,248Wien#38,244

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list