measles

/ˈmizəlz/

//ˈmizəlz// noun

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

"measles" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“measles” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,887 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#18,887
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

measles vs measly
71% similar
measles vs measures
75% similar
measles vs males
71% similar

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

Key facts for measles
PropertyValue
Headwordmeasles
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmizəlz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#18,887
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “measles” 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). measles lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for measles is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmizəlz/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,887 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for measles, with forms such as "emasles", "maesles", and "mealses". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "measly", "measures", "males", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele &… The correct English form is measles, spelled M-E-A-S-L-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
  2. 2
    Any disease causing red rashes.
  3. 3
    Used as an intensifier.
  4. 4
    Synonym of cysticercosis: A disease of livestock or meat caused by the presence of tapeworm larvae.
  5. 5
    Any disease causing a tree's bark to become rough and irregular.
  6. 6
    plural of measle: a red spot forming part of a rash, (now) particularly those caused by M. morbillivirus.
  7. 7
    plural of measle: any similar-looking red spot, particularly (printing) foxing.
  8. 8
    plural of measle: the individual cysts of cysticercosis.
  9. 9
    plural of measle: the individual blisters in the surface of a diseased tree's bark.
  10. 10
    A discreet assassination made to look like death from any natural cause.

Etymology

Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low German masele & māsel. Influenced in pronunciation and some senses by mesel (“leprous, leper”).

Synonyms

morbillirubeolameaslingsthe dickens

This word in other languages

sarampión(Español)rougeole(Français)Masern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emasles,maesles,mealses,measels,measless,measlles,measlse,meassles,mesales,mmeasles

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of measles - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

emasles2maesles2mealses2measels2measless1measlles1measlse2meassles1
Edit distance from "measles"

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 "measles"?
"measles" is spelled M-E-A-S-L-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmizəlz/.
What does "measles" mean?
As a noun, "measles" means: An acute and highly contagious disease which often afflicts children caused by the virus Measles morbillivirus and causing red rashes, fever, runny nose, coughing, and red eyes.
What words are commonly confused with "measles"?
"measles" is commonly confused with "measly", "measures", "males". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "measles"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "measles" is /ˈmizəlz/. 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 "measles"?
Either from Middle Dutch masels (“blood blisters, measels”) or Middle Low German maselen (“red blemishes, measels”), both from Old High German masala (“blood blister, phlegmon”). Doublet of measlings. Cognate with mazer & mase and Middle Low Germa... 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 “measles”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-A-S-L-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmizəlz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “measly” - see the side-by-side comparison. measles vs measly
  • 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.

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

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