mastermind

/ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd/

//ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd// noun

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

"mastermind" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mastermind” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,131. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,131
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person with an extraordinary intellect or skill that is markedly superior to their peers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mastermind · mastermind · English

mastermind · rank #18,131 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #18,131
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH materially

Nearest frequency peer: materially (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mastermind”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mastermind” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mastermind vs mastering
80% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mastermind
PropertyValue
Headwordmastermind
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd/
Letters10
Frequency rank#18,131
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mastermind”

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).mastermindlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “materially” (#18,132), “magically” (#18,129), “metadata” (#18,133). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mastermind” is #18,131. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around mastermind (IPA /ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,131 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for mastermind, with forms such as "amstermind", "masetrmind", and "masstermind". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "mastering", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From master + mind. The correct English form is mastermind, spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-M-I-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person with an extraordinary intellect or skill that is markedly superior to their peers.
  2. 2
    A person responsible for the highest level of planning and execution of a major operation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mastermind appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. At long intervals some master-minds appeared, looking upon each advance in practical science as a retro-gradation in the true utility.
  2. His first outside hire wasn't an electronics whiz or a mechanical mastermind, but a young industrial designer, a creature hitherto unknown at DEKA.

Etymology

From master + mind.

This word in other languages

cerebro(Español)cerveau(Français)Superhirn(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amstermind
  • masetrmind
  • masstermind
  • mastemrind
  • masterimnd
  • mastermidn
  • mastermindd
  • masterminnd
  • mastermmind
  • mastermnid
  • masterrmind
  • mastremind
  • masttermind
  • matsermind
  • mmastermind
  • msatermind

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mastermind - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amstermind2masetrmind2masstermind1mastemrind2masterimnd2mastermidn2mastermindd1masterminnd1
Edit distance from "mastermind"

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 "mastermind"?
"mastermind" is spelled M-A-S-T-E-R-M-I-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd/.
What does "mastermind" mean?
As a noun, "mastermind" means: A person with an extraordinary intellect or skill that is markedly superior to their peers.
What words are commonly confused with "mastermind"?
"mastermind" is commonly confused with "mastering". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mastermind"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mastermind" is /ˈmɑː.stə.mʌɪnd/. 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 "mastermind"?
From master + mind. 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 "mastermind", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

materially#18,132linebacker#18,123noticeably#18,143Jacqueline#18,114

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

outsourcing16 variantsimplements16 variantsthirteenth16 variantsdeductible16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list