Mekong

/ˈmikɔŋ/

//ˈmikɔŋ// name

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

The verdict

“Mekong” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,827. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,827
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A river in southeastern Asia that flows about 4,183 km (2,600 miles) from Tibet to the South China Sea in Vietnam.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mekong · Mekong · English

Mekong · rank #35,827 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,827
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Melania

Nearest frequency peer: Melania (+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 “Mekong”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Mekong” 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).

Mekong vs Meng
67% similar
Mekong vs mong
50% similar
Mekong vs melon
50% similar

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

Key facts for Mekong
PropertyValue
HeadwordMekong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈmikɔŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#35,827
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Mekong”

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).Mekonglands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Melania” (#35,828), “Mayflower” (#35,825), “melanin” (#35,829). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Mekong” is #35,827. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Mekong (IPA /ˈmikɔŋ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #35,827 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A river in southeastern Asia that flows about 4,183 km (2,600 miles) from Tibet to the South China Sea in Vietnam.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Mekong, with forms such as "emkong", "mekkong", and "meknog". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Meng", "mong", "melon", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: c. 19th c., from Thai แม่โขง (mɛ̂ɛ-kǒong, literally “Mother river”), contracted form of แม่น้ำโขง (mɛ̂ɛ-náam-kǒong). The correct English form is Mekong, spelled M-E-K-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A river in southeastern Asia that flows about 4,183 km (2,600 miles) from Tibet to the South China Sea in Vietnam.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Mekong River’s lower basin is vast, encompassing parts of Myanmar and Thailand, virtually all of Laos and Cambodia and parts of southern Vietnam, where, after a 3,000-mile journey across five national borders, the mother of rivers divaricates into a complex delta network and drains into the South China Sea. Tonle Sap Lake sits roughly in the middle of…
  2. The Mekong is one of the largest rivers in the world, beginning in China and flowing through Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Nearly 70 million people in Asia are dependent on its waters for fishing or to irrigate their rice fields.

Etymology

c. 19th c., from Thai แม่โขง (mɛ̂ɛ-kǒong, literally “Mother river”), contracted form of แม่น้ำโขง (mɛ̂ɛ-náam-kǒong).

Synonyms

Mekong River

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emkong
  • mekkong
  • meknog
  • mekogn
  • mekongg
  • mekonng
  • meokng
  • mkeong
  • mmekong

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emkong2mekkong1meknog2mekogn2mekongg1mekonng1meokng2mkeong2
Edit distance from "Mekong"

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 "Mekong"?
"Mekong" is spelled M-E-K-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmikɔŋ/.
What does "Mekong" mean?
As a proper noun, "Mekong" means: A river in southeastern Asia that flows about 4,183 km (2,600 miles) from Tibet to the South China Sea in Vietnam.
What words are commonly confused with "Mekong"?
"Mekong" is commonly confused with "Meng", "mong", "melon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Mekong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Mekong" is /ˈmikɔŋ/. 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 "Mekong"?
c. 19th c., from Thai แม่โขง (mɛ̂ɛ-kǒong, literally “Mother river”), contracted form of แม่น้ำโขง (mɛ̂ɛ-náam-kǒong). 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 "Mekong", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list