metamorphose
/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːˌfəʊz/
"metamorphose" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“metamorphose” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a moth or insect, to undergo metamorphosis.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | metamorphose |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːˌfəʊz/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “metamorphose” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for metamorphose is 12 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːˌfəʊz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for metamorphose in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French métamorphoser, from Old French metamorphose, from Latin metamorphōsis; see metamorphosis. The correct English form is metamorphose, spelled M-E-T-A-M-O-R-P-H-O-S-E.
Definition
- 1Of a moth or insect, to undergo metamorphosis.
- 2To undergo some transformation.
- 3To transform (something) so that it has a completely different appearance.
Etymology
From French métamorphoser, from Old French metamorphose, from Latin metamorphōsis; see metamorphosis.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “metamorphose”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-E-T-A-M-O-R-P-H-O-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːˌfəʊz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.