melt

Name: melt, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/mɛlt/

//mɛlt// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“melt” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,582 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#7,582
frequency rank, English: 4
letters: 6
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

melt vs MT

0% similar

melt vs ML

0% similar

melt vs men

50% similar

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

Key facts for melt
Property	Value
Headword	melt
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/mɛlt/
Letters	4
Frequency rank	#7,582
Misspellings tracked	6
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “melt” 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). melt lands here:

#7,582

#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 melt is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɛlt/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,582 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 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 melt, with forms such as "emlt", "mellt", and "meltt". 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, "MT", "ML", "men", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English melten, from a merger of Old English meltan (intransitive) and mieltan (transitive), both meaning “to melt, digest,” from Proto-West Germanic *meltan and *maltijan, from Proto-Germanic *meltaną and *maltijaną, both from Proto-Indo-Europe… The correct English form is melt, spelled M-E-L-T.

Definition

1
To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.
2
To dissolve, disperse, vanish.
3
To soften, as by a warming or kindly influence; to relax; to render gentle or susceptible to mild influences; sometimes, in a bad sense, to take away the firmness of; to weaken.
4
To be discouraged.
5
To be emotionally softened or touched.
6
To be very hot and sweat profusely.

Etymology

From Middle English melten, from a merger of Old English meltan (intransitive) and mieltan (transitive), both meaning “to melt, digest,” from Proto-West Germanic *meltan and *maltijan, from Proto-Germanic *meltaną and *maltijaną, both from Proto-Indo-European *(s)meld- (“melt”). Cognate with Icelandic melta (“to digest”).

Synonyms

to foundto thaw

This word in other languages

derretirse(Español)fondre(Français)schmelzen(Deutsch)derreter(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emlt,mellt,meltt,metl,mlet,mmelt

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "melt"

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 "melt"?

"melt" is spelled M-E-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /mɛlt/.

What does "melt" mean?

As a verb, "melt" means: To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.

What words are commonly confused with "melt"?

"melt" is commonly confused with "MT", "ML", "men". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "melt"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "melt" is /mɛlt/. 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 "melt"?

From Middle English melten, from a merger of Old English meltan (intransitive) and mieltan (transitive), both meaning “to melt, digest,” from Proto-West Germanic *meltan and *maltijan, from Proto-Germanic *meltaną and *maltijaną, both from Proto-I... 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 “melt”

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

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