melee

/ˈmɛˌleɪ/

//ˈmɛˌleɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“melee” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,859 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#21,859
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

melee vs mile
60% similar
melee vs mere
60% similar
melee vs melt
60% similar

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

Key facts for melee
PropertyValue
Headwordmelee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛˌleɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#21,859
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “melee” 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). melee 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 melee is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɛˌleɪ/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,859 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for melee, with forms such as "emlee", "meele", and "mele". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mile", "mere", "melt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French mêlée, from Old French meslee, feminine past participle of mesler (“to mix”), derived from Latin misceō (“mix”). Doublet of medley. The correct English form is melee, spelled M-E-L-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.
  2. 2
    A loud, confused or tumultuous fight, argument or scrap.
  3. 3
    Any confused, disorganised, disordered or chaotic situation.
  4. 4
    Lively contention or debate, skirmish.
  5. 5
    A cavalry exercise in which two groups of riders try to cut paper plumes off the helmets of their opponents, the contest continuing until no member of one group retains his plume.
  6. 6
    Small cut and polished gemstones sold in lots.
  7. 7
    The video game Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Etymology

Borrowed from French mêlée, from Old French meslee, feminine past participle of mesler (“to mix”), derived from Latin misceō (“mix”). Doublet of medley.

This word in other languages

Handgemenge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emlee,meele,mele,mellee,mleee,mmelee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of melee - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

emlee2meele2mele1mellee1mleee2mmelee1
Edit distance from "melee"

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 "melee"?
"melee" is spelled M-E-L-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛˌleɪ/.
What does "melee" mean?
As a noun, "melee" means: A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.
What words are commonly confused with "melee"?
"melee" is commonly confused with "mile", "mere", "melt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "melee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "melee" is /ˈmɛˌleɪ/. 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 "melee"?
Borrowed from French mêlée, from Old French meslee, feminine past participle of mesler (“to mix”), derived from Latin misceō (“mix”). Doublet of medley. 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 “melee”

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

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