CMV

noun

"cmv" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“CMV” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #46,987) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#46,987
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Initialism of cytomegalovirus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cmv · CMV · English

CMV · rank #46,987 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,987
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clumsily

Nearest frequency peer: clumsily (-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 “CMV”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “CMV” 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).

CMV vs co
0% similar
CMV vs CT
33% similar
CMV vs CR
33% similar

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

Key facts for CMV
PropertyValue
HeadwordCMV
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters3
Frequency rank#46,987
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “CMV”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).CMVlands 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 “clumsily” (#46,986), “codename” (#46,988), “clenching” (#46,985). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “CMV” is #46,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for CMV is neighbouring look-alikes ("co", "CT", …), not just typos; it is anoun. Frequency #46,987 among 5,599 “C” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

CMV doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "co", "CT", "CR", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is CMV, spelled C-M-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    Initialism of cytomegalovirus.
  2. 2
    Initialism of cucumber mosaic virus.
  3. 3
    Initialism of commercial motor vehicle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. DHPG […] is effective in fighting Cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus which, for PWAs, can cause CMV retinitis — a condition which can lead to blindness within weeks.
  2. All CMV drivers will now be required to complete a two-part ELP assessment during a roadside inspection, if there is a reasonable concern regarding their ability to communicate safely and effectively in English

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 "CMV"?
"CMV" is spelled C-M-V.
What does "CMV" mean?
As a noun, "CMV" means: Initialism of cytomegalovirus.
What words are commonly confused with "CMV"?
"CMV" is commonly confused with "co", "CT", "CR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What language does "CMV" come from?
"CMV" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "CMV", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list