membranous

/ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs/

//ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs// adj

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

"membranous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“membranous” is uncommon English (frequency #76,118 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,118
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the qualities of, or pertaining to, a membrane.

Corpus desk

Index EN-membranous · membranous · English

membranous · rank #76,118 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,118
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meese

Nearest frequency peer: meese (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “membranous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “membranous” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for membranous
PropertyValue
Headwordmembranous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#76,118
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “membranous” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).membranousfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “meese” (#76,117), “menses” (#76,119), “mesenteric” (#76,120). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “membranous” is #76,118. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

membranous is uncommon English at frequency #76,118 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for membranous, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French membraneux; equivalent to membrane + -ous. The correct English form is membranous, spelled M-E-M-B-R-A-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the qualities of, or pertaining to, a membrane.
  2. 2
    Accompanying the formation of a usually abnormal membrane or membranous layer.
  3. 3
    Thin, pliable, and often transparent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The microcannon starts with a membranous polymer film.

Etymology

From Middle French membraneux; equivalent to membrane + -ous.

This word in other languages

membranoso(Español)membraneux(Français)membranartig(Deutsch)

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 "membranous"?
"membranous" is spelled M-E-M-B-R-A-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs/.
What does "membranous" mean?
As an adjective, "membranous" means: Having the qualities of, or pertaining to, a membrane.
How do you pronounce "membranous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "membranous" is /ˈmɛm.bɹən.əs/. 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 "membranous"?
From Middle French membraneux; equivalent to membrane + -ous. 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 "membranous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mesenteric#76,120matchstick#76,110narrowness#76,148Nascimento#76,149

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list