Merlot

/mɝˈloʊ/

//mɝˈloʊ// noun

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

"merlot" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Merlot” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,424. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,424
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dark-blue variety of wine grape.

Corpus desk

Index EN-merlot · Merlot · English

Merlot · rank #39,424 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,424
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH melancholic

Nearest frequency peer: melancholic (-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 “Merlot”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Merlot” 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).

Merlot vs Merton
67% similar
Merlot vs melt
50% similar
Merlot vs melo
50% similar

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

Key facts for Merlot
PropertyValue
HeadwordMerlot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɝˈloʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#39,424
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Merlot”

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).Merlotlands 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 “melancholic” (#39,423), “McCord” (#39,422), “Michal” (#39,427). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Merlot” is #39,424. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Merlot (IPA /mɝˈloʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,424 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Merlot, with forms such as "emrlot", "melrot", and "merllot". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "Merton", "melt", "melo", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French, a diminutive of merle (“blackbird”). The correct English form is Merlot, spelled M-E-R-L-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dark-blue variety of wine grape.
  2. 2
    A dry red wine of a certain French type, made from Merlot grapes.

Etymology

From French, a diminutive of merle (“blackbird”).

This word in other languages

merlot(Français)Merlot(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emrlot
  • melrot
  • merllot
  • merlott
  • merlto
  • merolt
  • merrlot
  • mmerlot
  • mrelot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Merlot - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

emrlot2melrot2merllot1merlott1merlto2merolt2merrlot1mmerlot1
Edit distance from "Merlot"

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 "Merlot"?
"Merlot" is spelled M-E-R-L-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /mɝˈloʊ/.
What does "Merlot" mean?
As a noun, "Merlot" means: A dark-blue variety of wine grape.
What words are commonly confused with "Merlot"?
"Merlot" is commonly confused with "Merton", "melt", "melo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Merlot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Merlot" is /mɝˈloʊ/. 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 "Merlot"?
From French, a diminutive of merle (“blackbird”). 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 "Merlot", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

McCord#39,422Michal#39,427Mattis#39,419matted#39,418

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

mopping9 variantsjardin9 variantsPetrov9 variantshallows9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list