mere

/mɪə̯/

//mɪə̯// adj

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

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

The verdict

“mere” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,812 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#5,812
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mere vs Mr
25% similar
mere vs met
50% similar
mere vs Mrs
25% similar

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

Key facts for mere
PropertyValue
Headwordmere
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/mɪə̯/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,812
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mere” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). mere lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for mere is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪə̯/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,812 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for mere, with forms such as "emre", "merre", and "mmere". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Mr", "met", "Mrs", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mere, mer, from Anglo-Norman meer, from Old French mier, from Latin merus (“pure, unmixed, undiluted”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to sparkle, gleam”). Cognate with Old English āmerian, āmyrian (“to purify, examine, revise”). The M… The correct English form is mere, spelled M-E-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
  2. 2
    Pure, unalloyed .
  3. 3
    Nothing less than; complete, downright .

Etymology

From Middle English mere, mer, from Anglo-Norman meer, from Old French mier, from Latin merus (“pure, unmixed, undiluted”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to sparkle, gleam”). Cognate with Old English āmerian, āmyrian (“to purify, examine, revise”). The Middle English word was perhaps influenced by or conflated with sound-alike Middle English mere (“glorious, noble, splendid, fine, pure”), from Old English mǣre (“famous, great, excellent, sublime, splendid, pure, sterling”), from Proto-West Germanic *mārī, from Proto-Germanic *mērijaz.

This word in other languages

mero(Español)simple(Français)bloß(Deutsch)mero(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emre,merre,mmere,mree

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emre2merre1mmere1mree2
Edit distance from "mere"

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 "mere"?
"mere" is spelled M-E-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪə̯/.
What does "mere" mean?
As an adjective, "mere" means: Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
What words are commonly confused with "mere"?
"mere" is commonly confused with "Mr", "met", "Mrs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mere"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mere" is /mɪə̯/. 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 "mere"?
From Middle English mere, mer, from Anglo-Norman meer, from Old French mier, from Latin merus (“pure, unmixed, undiluted”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to sparkle, gleam”). Cognate with Old English āmerian, āmyrian (“to purify, examine, revis... 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.

Using “mere”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɪə̯/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Mr” - see the side-by-side comparison. mere vs Mr
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list