metabolic

/mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/

//mɛtəˈbɒlɪk// adj

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

The verdict

“metabolic” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,639. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,639
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to metamorphosis; pertaining to, or involving, change.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

metabolic vs metallic
78% similar
metabolic vs metabolism
80% similar
metabolic vs metabolite
80% similar

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

Key facts for metabolic
PropertyValue
Headwordmetabolic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,639
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “metabolic” 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). metabolic lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around metabolic (IPA /mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,639 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for metabolic, with forms such as "emtabolic", "meatbolic", and "metabbolic". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "metallic", "metabolism", "metabolite", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: See metabolism. The correct English form is metabolic, spelled M-E-T-A-B-O-L-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to metamorphosis; pertaining to, or involving, change.
  2. 2
    Of or pertaining to metabolism

Etymology

See metabolism.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emtabolic
  • meatbolic
  • metabbolic
  • metabloic
  • metaboilc
  • metabolci
  • metabolicc
  • metabollic
  • metaoblic
  • metbaolic
  • mettabolic
  • mmetabolic
  • mteabolic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emtabolic2meatbolic2metabbolic1metabloic2metaboilc2metabolci2metabolicc1metabollic1
Edit distance from "metabolic"

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 "metabolic"?
"metabolic" is spelled M-E-T-A-B-O-L-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/.
What does "metabolic" mean?
As an adjective, "metabolic" means: Of or pertaining to metamorphosis; pertaining to, or involving, change.
What words are commonly confused with "metabolic"?
"metabolic" is commonly confused with "metallic", "metabolism", "metabolite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "metabolic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metabolic" is /mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/. 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 "metabolic"?
See metabolism. 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 “metabolic”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-T-A-B-O-L-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɛtəˈbɒlɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “metallic” - see the side-by-side comparison. metabolic vs metallic
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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