malformed

/ˌmælˈfɔːmd/

//ˌmælˈfɔːmd// adj

"malformed" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“malformed” is uncommon English (frequency #59,522 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#59,522
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malformed · malformed · English

malformed · rank #59,522 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #59,522
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maiduguri

Nearest frequency peer: Maiduguri (-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 “malformed”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for malformed
PropertyValue
Headwordmalformed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌmælˈfɔːmd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#59,522
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “malformed” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).malformedfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Maiduguri” (#59,521), “Manama” (#59,524), “Madan” (#59,519). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malformed” is #59,522. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

malformed is uncommon English at frequency #59,522 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌmælˈfɔːmd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed.".

No misspelling variants are generated for malformed in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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 mal- + formed. The correct English form is malformed, spelled M-A-L-F-O-R-M-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed.

Etymology

From mal- + formed.

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); 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 "malformed"?
"malformed" is spelled M-A-L-F-O-R-M-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmælˈfɔːmd/.
What does "malformed" mean?
As an adjective, "malformed" means: Not formed correctly; misshapen; deformed.
How do you pronounce "malformed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malformed" is /ˌmælˈfɔːmd/. 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 "malformed"?
From mal- + formed. 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 "malformed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list