mercenary

/ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/

//ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi// noun

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

"mercenary" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mercenary” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,706. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,706
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One motivated by gain, especially monetary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mercenary · mercenary · English

mercenary · rank #20,706 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,706
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meditate

Nearest frequency peer: meditate (-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 “mercenary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mercenary” 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
Key facts for mercenary
PropertyValue
Headwordmercenary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,706
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mercenary”

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).mercenarylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “meditate” (#20,705), “McGrath” (#20,704), “microscopy” (#20,708). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mercenary” is #20,706. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around mercenary (IPA /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,706 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for mercenary, with forms such as "emrcenary", "mecrenary", and "merccenary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”). The correct English form is mercenary, spelled M-E-R-C-E-N-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
  2. 2
    A person employed to fight in an armed conflict who is not a member of the state or military group for which they are fighting and whose primary motivation is private gain.
  3. 3
    One hired to engage in a figurative battle, as a corporate takeover, a lawsuit, or a political campaign.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. J. Argyrofylus, a mercenary Greek, who came to teach school in Italy, after the sacking of Constantinople by the Turks, used to maintain that Cicero understood neither Philosophy nor Greek
  2. Such a man emphatically deserves the name of fortune-hunter—a wretch as detestable in society, as destructive of domestic happiness! And if, when marriages are consummated on such plans, there be afterwards between the parties the least appearance of regard, and the common forms of decorum, it is more than can reasonably be expected, and infinitely more t…

Etymology

From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”).

Synonyms

adventurerbravocondottierefilibusterfreebooterfreelancefree companionhired gunhirelinghit manmercmercenaryprivate military contractorsellswordsoldier of fortune

This word in other languages

mercenario(Español)mercenaire(Français)Söldner(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emrcenary
  • mecrenary
  • merccenary
  • merceanry
  • mercenarry
  • mercenaryy
  • mercenayr
  • mercennary
  • mercenray
  • mercneary
  • merecnary
  • merrcenary
  • mmercenary
  • mrecenary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emrcenary2mecrenary2merccenary1merceanry2mercenarry1mercenaryy1mercenayr2mercennary1
Edit distance from "mercenary"

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 "mercenary"?
"mercenary" is spelled M-E-R-C-E-N-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/.
What does "mercenary" mean?
As a noun, "mercenary" means: One motivated by gain, especially monetary.
What are common misspellings of "mercenary"?
Common misspellings include "emrcenary", "mecrenary", "merccenary", "merceanry", "mercenarry". The correct spelling is "mercenary".
How do you pronounce "mercenary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mercenary" is /ˈmɜː.sə.nə.ɹi/. 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 "mercenary"?
From Middle English mercenarye (“someone paid to work, hireling”), from Latin mercēnārius (“hired for money”), from mercēs (“reward, wages, price”). 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 "mercenary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

longitude#20,695orthodoxy#20,726inversion#20,675inventive#20,674

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

preoccupied14 variantsreforming14 variantsgunpowder14 variantsgrounding14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list