birthmark

/ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/

//ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk// noun

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

"birthmark" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“birthmark” is uncommon English (frequency #55,954 among 4,121 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,954
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mark on the skin formed before birth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-birthmark · birthmark · English

birthmark · rank #55,954 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,954
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH birdcage

Nearest frequency peer: birdcage (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “birthmark”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “birthmark” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for birthmark
PropertyValue
Headwordbirthmark
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#55,954
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “birthmark” in English

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).birthmarkfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “birdcage” (#55,953), “biol” (#55,952), “bisque” (#55,956). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “birthmark” is #55,954. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

birthmark is uncommon English at frequency #55,954 among 4,121 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A mark on the skin formed before birth.".

birthmark doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From birth + mark. Displaced earlier terms longing mark and mother's mark. The correct English form is birthmark, spelled B-I-R-T-H-M-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mark on the skin formed before birth.

Etymology

From birth + mark. Displaced earlier terms longing mark and mother's mark.

This word in other languages

lunar(Español)tache de naissance(Français)Muttermal(Deutsch)

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 "birthmark"?
"birthmark" is spelled B-I-R-T-H-M-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/.
What does "birthmark" mean?
As a noun, "birthmark" means: A mark on the skin formed before birth.
How do you pronounce "birthmark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "birthmark" is /ˈbɝθˌmɑɹk/. 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 "birthmark"?
From birth + mark. Displaced earlier terms longing mark and mother's mark. 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 "birthmark", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

believeth#55,948Blackfoot#55,960barbarity#55,939builder's#55,979

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list