malevolent

/məˈlɛvələnt/

//məˈlɛvələnt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“malevolent” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,068. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,068
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malevolent · malevolent · English

malevolent · rank #32,068 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,068
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Manchuria

Nearest frequency peer: Manchuria (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “malevolent”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “malevolent” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for malevolent
PropertyValue
Headwordmalevolent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/məˈlɛvələnt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#32,068
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “malevolent”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).malevolentlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Manchuria” (#32,069), “mano” (#32,070), “MacGregor” (#32,065). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malevolent” is #32,068. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around malevolent (IPA /məˈlɛvələnt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #32,068 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for malevolent, with forms such as "amlevolent", "maelvolent", and "maleovlent". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English *malevolent (suggested by Middle English malevolence), from Old French malivolent and Latin malevolentem, from male (“badly, wrongly”) + volens (“willing, wishing”), from velle (“to wish”). The correct English form is malevolent, spelled M-A-L-E-V-O-L-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
  2. 2
    Having an evil or harmful influence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In Iraq the bullying continued. After she witnessed the death of a colleague, Manning felt how “with enough grief, adrenaline and fear”, war can turn anyone “amoral, even malevolent”.
  2. Vela, Javier Hernández and Lozano switched positions with a thrillingly malevolent sense of purpose.

Etymology

From Middle English *malevolent (suggested by Middle English malevolence), from Old French malivolent and Latin malevolentem, from male (“badly, wrongly”) + volens (“willing, wishing”), from velle (“to wish”).

This word in other languages

malévolo(Español)malintentionné(Français)böswillig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amlevolent
  • maelvolent
  • maleovlent
  • malevloent
  • malevoelnt
  • malevolennt
  • malevolentt
  • malevoletn
  • malevollent
  • malevolnet
  • malevvolent
  • mallevolent
  • malveolent
  • mlaevolent
  • mmalevolent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of malevolent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amlevolent2maelvolent2maleovlent2malevloent2malevoelnt2malevolennt1malevolentt1malevoletn2
Edit distance from "malevolent"

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 "malevolent"?
"malevolent" is spelled M-A-L-E-V-O-L-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈlɛvələnt/.
What does "malevolent" mean?
As an adjective, "malevolent" means: Having or displaying ill will; wishing harm on others.
What are common misspellings of "malevolent"?
Common misspellings include "amlevolent", "maelvolent", "maleovlent", "malevloent", "malevoelnt". The correct spelling is "malevolent".
How do you pronounce "malevolent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malevolent" is /məˈlɛvələnt/. 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 "malevolent"?
From Middle English *malevolent (suggested by Middle English malevolence), from Old French malivolent and Latin malevolentem, from male (“badly, wrongly”) + volens (“willing, wishing”), from velle (“to wish”). 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 "malevolent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

livestream#32,063Napoleonic#32,095impersonal#32,039hemoglobin#32,027

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

goalscorer15 variantsprintable15 variantsflorentine15 variantsflawlessly15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list