malfunction
/ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/
"malfunction" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“malfunction” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,891 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #19,891
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 18
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Faulty functioning.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | malfunction |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #19,891 |
| Misspellings tracked | 18 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “malfunction” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for malfunction is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,891 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for malfunction, with forms such as "amlfunction", "maflunction", and "malffunction". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: From mal- (“bad, incorrect”) + function. The correct English form is malfunction, spelled M-A-L-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1Faulty functioning.
- 2Failure to function.
Etymology
From mal- (“bad, incorrect”) + function.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amlfunction,maflunction,malffunction,malfnuction,malfucntion,malfuncction,malfunciton,malfuncsion,malfunctino,malfunctionn,malfunctoin,malfuncttion,malfunnction,malfuntcion,mallfunction,malufnction,mlafunction,mmalfunction
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of malfunction - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “malfunction”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-L-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌmælˈfʌŋk.ʃən/ (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.