forget-me-not

/fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/

//fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt// noun

"forget-me-not" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“forget-me-not” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the flowering plants of the genus Myosotis, mostly with a small five-petalled blue flower; a flower from such a plant.

Key facts for forget-me-not
PropertyValue
Headwordforget-me-not
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “forget-me-not” sits in English frequency

forget-me-not falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

forget-me-not is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for forget-me-not in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Calque of Middle French ne m'oubliez mie or German Vergissmeinnicht. The correct English form is forget-me-not, spelled F-O-R-G-E-T---M-E---N-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the flowering plants of the genus Myosotis, mostly with a small five-petalled blue flower; a flower from such a plant.
  2. 2
    Any of certain species of genus Cynoglossum
  3. 3
    A light tint of blue, the color of the flower.
  4. 4
    Any of various light-blue coloured lycaenid butterflies of the Asian and Australasian genus Catochrysops, especially Catochrysops strabo native to India and Southeast Asia.

Etymology

Calque of Middle French ne m'oubliez mie or German Vergissmeinnicht.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "forget-me-not"?
"forget-me-not" is spelled F-O-R-G-E-T---M-E---N-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/.
What does "forget-me-not" mean?
As a noun, "forget-me-not" means: Any of the flowering plants of the genus Myosotis, mostly with a small five-petalled blue flower; a flower from such a plant.
How do you pronounce "forget-me-not"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "forget-me-not" is /fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/. 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 "forget-me-not"?
Calque of Middle French ne m'oubliez mie or German Vergissmeinnicht. 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.

Using “forget-me-not”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is F-O-R-G-E-T---M-E---N-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /fɚˈɡɛt.miˌnɑt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list