melon

/ˈmɛlən/

//ˈmɛlən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“melon” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,138. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,138
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.

Corpus desk

Index EN-melon · melon · English

melon · rank #19,138 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,138
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mellow

Nearest frequency peer: mellow (-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 “melon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “melon” 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).

melon vs men
60% similar
melon vs mon
60% similar
melon vs moon
60% similar

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

Key facts for melon
PropertyValue
Headwordmelon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛlən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#19,138
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “melon”

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).melonlands 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 “mellow” (#19,137), “meek” (#19,136), “miscarriage” (#19,140). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “melon” is #19,138. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around melon (IPA /ˈmɛlən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,138 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for melon, with forms such as "emlon", "melno", and "melonn". 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, "men", "mon", "moon", 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 meloun, melon, from Old French melon, from Late Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn), from μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”) + πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”). The correct English form is melon, spelled M-E-L-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
  2. 2
    Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
  3. 3
    Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
  4. 4
    Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
  5. 5
    The large, round to ovoid fruits that have rinds and are of such plants
  6. 6
    A light pinkish orange color, like that of some melon flesh.
  7. 7
    The breasts.
  8. 8
    The head, the brain.
  9. 9
    A member of the Green Party, or similar environmental group.
  10. 10
    A mass of adipose tissue found in the forehead of all toothed whales, used to focus and modulate vocalizations.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She indicated her left melon, underneath which lay the heart. “Because you stuck with me, and whether you ever said it or not, that is love.”
  2. “Wait a minute.” I said. “James with another woman? Mommy, that doesn't even sound right?” “It's true. I caught him squeezing her melons.”

Etymology

From Middle English meloun, melon, from Old French melon, from Late Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn), from μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”) + πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”).

Synonyms

breasts

This word in other languages

melón(Español)melon(Français)Melone(Deutsch)melão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emlon
  • melno
  • melonn
  • meoln
  • mleon
  • mmelon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emlon2melno2melonn1meoln2mleon2mmelon1
Edit distance from "melon"

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 "melon"?
"melon" is spelled M-E-L-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛlən/.
What does "melon" mean?
As a noun, "melon" means: Some of the plants of the family Cucurbitaceae grown for food, generally not including the cucumber.
What words are commonly confused with "melon"?
"melon" is commonly confused with "men", "mon", "moon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "melon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "melon" is /ˈmɛlən/. 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 "melon"?
From Middle English meloun, melon, from Old French melon, from Late Latin melonem, from Latin melopeponem, from Ancient Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopépōn), from μῆλον (mêlon, “apple”) + πέπων (pépōn, “ripe”). 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 "melon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

MSNBC#19,143manic#19,131mamma#19,130irons#19,115

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Nassau6 variantsjock6 variantspups6 variantsdawg6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list