memo

/ˈmɛməʊ̯/

//ˈmɛməʊ̯// noun

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

"memo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“memo” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,497. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,497
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A short note; a memorandum.

Corpus desk

Index EN-memo · memo · English

memo · rank #9,497 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,497
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH melody

Nearest frequency peer: melody (-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 “memo”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “memo” 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).

memo vs MM
0% similar
memo vs MO
0% similar
memo vs men
50% similar

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

Key facts for memo
PropertyValue
Headwordmemo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛməʊ̯/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,497
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “memo”

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).memolands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “melody” (#9,496), “mic” (#9,498), “masterpiece” (#9,495). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “memo” is #9,497. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around memo (IPA /ˈmɛməʊ̯/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,497 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for memo, with forms such as "emmo", "memmo", and "meom". 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, "MM", "MO", "men", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Clipping of memorandum. The correct English form is memo, spelled M-E-M-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A short note; a memorandum.
  2. 2
    A record of partial results that can be reused later without recomputation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. According to yet another leaked memo, Powell responded the next day. Powell's leaked memo conceded that al Qaeda were not POWs, and that the Taliban individually or as a group might also lose their entitlement to that status.
  2. The first is that the recursive call finds its subproblem solution in the memo and returns immediately.

Etymology

Clipping of memorandum.

This word in other languages

memo(Español)note(Français)Memo(Deutsch)nota(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emmo
  • memmo
  • meom
  • mmemo
  • mmeo

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emmo2memmo1meom2mmemo1mmeo2
Edit distance from "memo"

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 "memo"?
"memo" is spelled M-E-M-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛməʊ̯/.
What does "memo" mean?
As a noun, "memo" means: A short note; a memorandum.
What words are commonly confused with "memo"?
"memo" is commonly confused with "MM", "MO", "men". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "memo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "memo" is /ˈmɛməʊ̯/. 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 "memo"?
Clipping of memorandum. 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 "memo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

logs#9,493Nate#9,503nets#9,504Jill#9,489

Similar misspelling depth

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

sofa5 variantsASAP5 variantswhoa5 variantsCarroll5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list