meltdown

noun

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

"meltdown" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meltdown” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,957. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,957
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping.

Corpus desk

Index EN-meltdown · meltdown · English

meltdown · rank #13,957 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,957
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH messiah

Nearest frequency peer: messiah (+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 “meltdown”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “meltdown” 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).

meltdown vs melton
75% similar

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

Key facts for meltdown
PropertyValue
Headwordmeltdown
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,957
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “meltdown”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).meltdownlands 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 “messiah” (#13,958), “meteor” (#13,959), “mash” (#13,954). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “meltdown” is #13,957. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around meltdown, anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,957 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for meltdown, with forms such as "emltdown", "meldtown", and "melltdown". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "melton", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from melt down. The correct English form is meltdown, spelled M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping.
  2. 2
    A situation being likened to a nuclear meltdown; a crisis.
  3. 3
    A tantrum or emotional outburst.
  4. 4
    An autistic response to stress or sensory overload, in which the person is overwhelmed by intense, seemingly disproportionate emotions, behaving erratically and becoming unable to mask.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Four years have passed since the meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, but the grim legacy of the Soviet catastrophe is still unfolding.
  2. Channel 4 switchboards went into meltdown this week when viewers called to complain about a Brass Eye programme on child sex.

Etymology

Deverbal from melt down.

Synonyms

tantrum

This word in other languages

fusión de núcleo(Español)Kernschmelze(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emltdown
  • meldtown
  • melltdown
  • meltddown
  • meltdonw
  • meltdownn
  • meltdowwn
  • meltdwon
  • meltodwn
  • melttdown
  • metldown
  • mletdown
  • mmeltdown

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emltdown2meldtown2melltdown1meltddown1meltdonw2meltdownn1meltdowwn1meltdwon2
Edit distance from "meltdown"

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 "meltdown"?
"meltdown" is spelled M-E-L-T-D-O-W-N.
What does "meltdown" mean?
As a noun, "meltdown" means: Severe overheating of the core of a nuclear reactor resulting in the core melting and potentially in radiation escaping.
What words are commonly confused with "meltdown"?
"meltdown" is commonly confused with "melton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "meltdown"?
Deverbal from melt down. 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 "meltdown", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mystical#13,965labeling#13,946outsider#13,974harassed#13,927

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

penetrate13 variantsintricate13 variantsimpatient13 variantsgangster13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list