message in a bottle
"message-in-a-bottle" is a 16-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“message in a bottle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 19
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A message written on a scrap of paper, rolled up and put in an empty bottle and set adrift on the ocean; traditionally, a method used by castaways to advertise their distress to the outside world.
Corpus desk
Index EN-message-in-a-bottle · message in a bottle · English
message in a bottle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 19 letters
- VOW-7 7 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "M" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | message in a bottle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 19 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “message in a bottle” in English
Rare enough to double-check
message in a bottle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
Zero misspellings are on record for message in a bottle in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is message in a bottle, spelled M-E-S-S-A-G-E- -I-N- -A- -B-O-T-T-L-E.
Definition
- 1A message written on a scrap of paper, rolled up and put in an empty bottle and set adrift on the ocean; traditionally, a method used by castaways to advertise their distress to the outside world.
- 2An analogous message sent off into the world or universe without knowledge of who the recipient will be: plaques on craft launched into outer space, interstellar radio messages, stationary time capsules, balloon mail, and so on.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how message in a bottle appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I'll send an SOS to the world / I hope that someone gets my / Message in a bottle
'Cause you could be the one that I love, oh, oh, oh / I could be the one that you dream of, of, of / A message in a bottle is all I can do-oo / Standin' here, hopin' it gets to you
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.