malum

/ˈmæ.ləm/

//ˈmæ.ləm// noun

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

"malum" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“malum” is uncommon English (frequency #89,593 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,593
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An evil or wrongdoing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malum · malum · English

malum · rank #89,593 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,593
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH maltose

Nearest frequency peer: maltose (-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 “malum”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for malum
PropertyValue
Headwordmalum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæ.ləm/
Letters5
Frequency rank#89,593
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “malum” in English

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).malumfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “maltose” (#89,592), “Manado” (#89,594), “malling” (#89,591). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malum” is #89,593. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

malum is uncommon English at frequency #89,593 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmæ.ləm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An evil or wrongdoing.".

Zero misspellings are on record for malum in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin malum. The correct English form is malum, spelled M-A-L-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evil or wrongdoing.

Etymology

From Latin malum.

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 "malum"?
"malum" is spelled M-A-L-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæ.ləm/.
What does "malum" mean?
As a noun, "malum" means: An evil or wrongdoing.
How do you pronounce "malum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malum" is /ˈmæ.ləm/. 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 "malum"?
From Latin malum. 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 "malum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Malka#89,590loupe#89,567Loria#89,566longe#89,564

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list