malum

/ˈmæ.ləm/

//ˈmæ.ləm// noun

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

The verdict

“malum” is uncommon English (frequency #89,593 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,593
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An evil or wrongdoing.

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)

Where “malum” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). malum lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

malum is uncommon English at frequency #89,593 among 36,575 “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.

Using “malum”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-L-U-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmæ.ləm/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list