meddle

/ˈmɛd.əl/

//ˈmɛd.əl// verb

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

"meddle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meddle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,980. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,980
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly.

Corpus desk

Index EN-meddle · meddle · English

meddle · rank #34,980 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,980
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Marathi

Nearest frequency peer: Marathi (-2 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 “meddle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “meddle” 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).

meddle vs merle
67% similar
meddle vs middle
83% similar
meddle vs module
67% similar

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

Key facts for meddle
PropertyValue
Headwordmeddle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmɛd.əl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,980
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “meddle”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).meddlelands 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 “Marathi” (#34,978), “menagerie” (#34,982), “manipulator” (#34,977). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “meddle” is #34,980. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around meddle (IPA /ˈmɛd.əl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #34,980 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for meddle, with forms such as "emddle", "mdedle", and "meddel". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "merle", "middle", "module", 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 medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, from Early Medieval Latin misculāre, derived from Latin misceō (“to mix”). The correct English form is meddle, spelled M-E-D-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly.
  2. 2
    To interest or engage oneself; to have to do (with), in a good sense.
  3. 3
    To mix (something) with some other substance; to commingle, combine, blend.
  4. 4
    To have sex.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] why ſhouldeſt thou meddle to thy hurt,[…]?
  2. […] the Civil Lawyers […] have medled in a matter, that belongs not to them;[…].

Etymology

From Middle English medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, from Early Medieval Latin misculāre, derived from Latin misceō (“to mix”).

This word in other languages

entrometerse(Español)s'ingérer(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emddle
  • mdedle
  • meddel
  • meddlle
  • medlde
  • medle
  • mmeddle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emddle2mdedle2meddel2meddlle1medlde2medle1mmeddle1
Edit distance from "meddle"

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 "meddle"?
"meddle" is spelled M-E-D-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛd.əl/.
What does "meddle" mean?
As a verb, "meddle" means: To interfere in or with; to concern oneself with unduly.
What words are commonly confused with "meddle"?
"meddle" is commonly confused with "merle", "middle", "module". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "meddle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "meddle" is /ˈmɛd.əl/. 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 "meddle"?
From Middle English medlen, from Anglo-Norman medler, from Early Medieval Latin misculāre, derived from Latin misceō (“to mix”). 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 "meddle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Malaga#34,974micron#34,986nibble#34,993Noonan#34,994

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

lunge7 variantslimes7 variantsLewes7 variantsinset7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list