malapropism
/ˈmæləpɹɒpˌɪzəm/
"malapropism" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“malapropism” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar-sounding one.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | malapropism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmæləpɹɒpˌɪzəm/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “malapropism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for malapropism is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæləpɹɒpˌɪzəm/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for malapropism in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the name of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in the play The Rivals (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan + -ism. As dramatic characters in English comic plays of this time often had allusive names, it is likely that Sheridan fashioned the name from malapropos… The correct English form is malapropism, spelled M-A-L-A-P-R-O-P-I-S-M.
Definition
- 1The blundering use of an absurdly inappropriate word or expression in place of a similar-sounding one.
- 2An instance of this; malaprop.
Etymology
From the name of Mrs. Malaprop, a character in the play The Rivals (1775) by Richard Brinsley Sheridan + -ism. As dramatic characters in English comic plays of this time often had allusive names, it is likely that Sheridan fashioned the name from malapropos (“inappropriate; inappropriately”), from French mal à propos. Mrs. Malaprop is perhaps the best-known example of a familiar comedic character archetype who unintentionally substitutes inappropriate but like-sounding words that take on a ludicrous meaning when used incorrectly.
Synonyms
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
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Using “malapropism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-L-A-P-R-O-P-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmæləpɹɒpˌɪzəm/ (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.