medal

/ˈmɛdəl/

//ˈmɛdəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“medal” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,704 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,704
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A stamped metal disc used as a personal ornament, a charm, or a religious object.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

medal vs mel
60% similar
medal vs mega
60% similar
medal vs mesa
60% similar

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

Key facts for medal
PropertyValue
Headwordmedal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛdəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,704
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “medal” 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). medal 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 medal is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɛdəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,704 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for medal, with forms such as "emdal", "mdeal", and "meadl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mel", "mega", "mesa", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English [Term?], from Middle French medaille, medale, from Italian medaglia (originally "half a denarius"), from Early Medieval Latin medālia, feminine derived via dissimilation (/dj–lj/ > /d–lj/) from mediālia, neuter plural of Late Latin mediā… The correct English form is medal, spelled M-E-D-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stamped metal disc used as a personal ornament, a charm, or a religious object.
  2. 2
    A stamped or cast metal object (usually a disc), particularly one awarded as a prize or reward.

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], from Middle French medaille, medale, from Italian medaglia (originally "half a denarius"), from Early Medieval Latin medālia, feminine derived via dissimilation (/dj–lj/ > /d–lj/) from mediālia, neuter plural of Late Latin mediālis (“middle”, adjective), from Classical Latin medius.

This word in other languages

medalla(Español)médaille(Français)Medaille(Deutsch)medalha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emdal,mdeal,meadl,medall,meddal,medla,mmedal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of medal - 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.

emdal2mdeal2meadl2medall1meddal1medla2mmedal1
Edit distance from "medal"

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 "medal"?
"medal" is spelled M-E-D-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛdəl/.
What does "medal" mean?
As a noun, "medal" means: A stamped metal disc used as a personal ornament, a charm, or a religious object.
What words are commonly confused with "medal"?
"medal" is commonly confused with "mel", "mega", "mesa". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "medal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "medal" is /ˈmɛdəl/. 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 "medal"?
From Middle English [Term?], from Middle French medaille, medale, from Italian medaglia (originally "half a denarius"), from Early Medieval Latin medālia, feminine derived via dissimilation (/dj–lj/ > /d–lj/) from mediālia, neuter plural of Late L... 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 “medal”

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

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