malcontent

/ˈmal.kən.tɛnt/

//ˈmal.kən.tɛnt// adj

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

"malcontent" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“malcontent” is uncommon English (frequency #89,589 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,589
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dissatisfied with current conditions; disaffected, discontented, rebellious.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malcontent · malcontent · English

malcontent · rank #89,589 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,589
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Malka

Nearest frequency peer: Malka (+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 “malcontent”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for malcontent
PropertyValue
Headwordmalcontent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmal.kən.tɛnt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#89,589
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “malcontent” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).malcontentfalls 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: “Malka” (#89,590), “mailbag” (#89,587), “malling” (#89,591). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malcontent” is #89,589. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

malcontent is uncommon English at frequency #89,589 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmal.kən.tɛnt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Dissatisfied with current conditions; disaffected, discontented, rebellious.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for malcontent in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French malcontent, from mal- + content; compare Late Latin malecontentus. The correct English form is malcontent, spelled M-A-L-C-O-N-T-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dissatisfied with current conditions; disaffected, discontented, rebellious.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [Alban] Butler also commends the piety of Simon Montfort, the persecutor of the Albigenses, and the father of the famous malcontent earl of Leicester, who flourished in the reign of king Henry III.
  2. The duke of Gloucester was a sickly child […] he died of a sore throat, and rash fever, occasioned by an imprudent participation in the festivities of his birthday. The famous humourist, Dr. [John] Radcliffe, the Abernethy of his day, who was malcontent with the government, was called in too late, he declared, to save his royal patient.

Etymology

From Middle French malcontent, from mal- + content; compare Late Latin malecontentus.

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 "malcontent"?
"malcontent" is spelled M-A-L-C-O-N-T-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmal.kən.tɛnt/.
What does "malcontent" mean?
As an adjective, "malcontent" means: Dissatisfied with current conditions; disaffected, discontented, rebellious.
How do you pronounce "malcontent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malcontent" is /ˈmal.kən.tɛnt/. 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 "malcontent"?
From Middle French malcontent, from mal- + content; compare Late Latin malecontentus. 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 "malcontent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Macdonnell#89,578matriarchy#89,608livability#89,557lipophilic#89,554

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list