mallet
/ˈmælɪt/
"mallet" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mallet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,987 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #28,987
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of hammer with a larger-than-usual head made of wood, rubber or similar non-iron material, used by woodworkers for driving a tool, such as a chisel. A kind of maul.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mallet |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmælɪt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #28,987 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mallet” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mallet is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmælɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,987 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mallet, with forms such as "amllet", "malelt", and "malet". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "malt", "maple", "mille", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English malet, maylet, from Old French mallet, maillet (“a wooden hammer, mallet”), diminutive of mal, mail (“a hammer”), from Latin malleus (“a hammer, mall, mallet”). The correct English form is mallet, spelled M-A-L-L-E-T.
Definition
- 1A type of hammer with a larger-than-usual head made of wood, rubber or similar non-iron material, used by woodworkers for driving a tool, such as a chisel. A kind of maul.
- 2A weapon resembling the tool, but typically much larger.
- 3A small hammer-like tool used for playing certain musical instruments.
- 4A light beetle with a long handle used in playing croquet.
- 5The stick used to strike the ball in the sport of polo.
Etymology
From Middle English malet, maylet, from Old French mallet, maillet (“a wooden hammer, mallet”), diminutive of mal, mail (“a hammer”), from Latin malleus (“a hammer, mall, mallet”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amllet,malelt,malet,mallett,mallte,mlalet,mmallet
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mallet - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "mallet"?
What does "mallet" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "mallet"?
How do you pronounce "mallet"?
What is the origin of the word "mallet"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “mallet”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-L-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmælɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “malt” - see the side-by-side comparison. mallet vs malt
- 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.