maltreat
/malˈtɹiːt/verb
maltreat is spelled M-A-L-T-R-E-A-T: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 52 million words in written English, the 225,584th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, maltreat means “To treat badly, to abuse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in maltreat?
| Letters | 8: M-A-L-T-R-E-A-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 52 million words; the 225,584th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is maltreat?
Maltreat appears about once in every 52 million words in written English, the 225,584th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce maltreat?
- UK /malˈtɹiːt/
Maltreat has 2 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-maltreat.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with maltreat?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as maltreat from its last stressed vowel (/it/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of maltreat
- maltreats present, singular, he/she/it
- maltreating participle, present
- maltreated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does maltreat mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To treat badly, to abuse.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Maltreat in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense treat badly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | misshandeln |
| Portuguese | maltratar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does maltreat come from?
From mal- + treat, after French maltraiter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).