merciful

/ˈmɜːsɪfl̩/

//ˈmɜːsɪfl̩// adj

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

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

The verdict

“merciful” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,425. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,425
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Showing mercy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-merciful · merciful · English

merciful · rank #20,425 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #20,425
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH martini

Nearest frequency peer: martini (-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 “merciful”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “merciful” 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).

merciful vs mercifully
80% similar

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

Key facts for merciful
PropertyValue
Headwordmerciful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɜːsɪfl̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#20,425
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “merciful”

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).mercifullands 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 “martini” (#20,424), “MGM” (#20,426), “midget” (#20,427). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “merciful” is #20,425. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around merciful (IPA /ˈmɜːsɪfl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #20,425 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Showing mercy.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for merciful, with forms such as "emrciful", "mecriful", and "mercciful". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "mercifully", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English merciful, mercyful, equivalent to mercy + -ful. Displaced native Old English mildheort. The correct English form is merciful, spelled M-E-R-C-I-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Showing mercy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. `Listen, Holly. Thou art a good and honest man, and I fain would spare thee; but, oh! it is so hard for woman to be merciful.'
  2. The murderer, he recalled, had been tried and sentenced to imprisonment for life, but was pardoned by a merciful governor after serving a year of his sentence.

Etymology

From Middle English merciful, mercyful, equivalent to mercy + -ful. Displaced native Old English mildheort.

Synonyms

ruthful

Antonyms

mercilesscruel

This word in other languages

misericordioso(Español)miséricordieux(Français)gnädig(Deutsch)misericordioso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emrciful
  • mecriful
  • mercciful
  • mercfiul
  • mercifful
  • merciflu
  • mercifull
  • merciufl
  • mericful
  • merrciful
  • mmerciful
  • mreciful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emrciful2mecriful2mercciful1mercfiul2mercifful1merciflu2mercifull1merciufl2
Edit distance from "merciful"

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 "merciful"?
"merciful" is spelled M-E-R-C-I-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɜːsɪfl̩/.
What does "merciful" mean?
As an adjective, "merciful" means: Showing mercy.
What words are commonly confused with "merciful"?
"merciful" is commonly confused with "mercifully". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "merciful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "merciful" is /ˈmɜːsɪfl̩/. 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 "merciful"?
From Middle English merciful, mercyful, equivalent to mercy + -ful. Displaced native Old English mildheort. 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 "merciful", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lymphoma#20,422literate#20,415monoxide#20,435outweigh#20,451

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

monologue12 variantslimitless12 variantsmusically12 variantsnighttime12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list