metamorphosis

/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/

//ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs// noun

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

"metamorphosis" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“metamorphosis” has 20 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,928. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,928
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
20
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A transformation, such as one performed by magic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metamorphosis · metamorphosis · English

metamorphosis · rank #27,928 · 20 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,928
  • LEN-MEGA 13 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 20 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH methodological

Nearest frequency peer: methodological (+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 “metamorphosis”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “metamorphosis” 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
Key facts for metamorphosis
PropertyValue
Headwordmetamorphosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/
Letters13
Frequency rank#27,928
Misspellings tracked20
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “metamorphosis”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).metamorphosislands 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 “methodological” (#27,929), “middleweight” (#27,930), “Mays” (#27,925). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “metamorphosis” is #27,928. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 20 spelling variants around metamorphosis (IPA /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,928 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 20 likely wrong-spelling variants for metamorphosis, with forms such as "emtamorphosis", "meatmorphosis", and "metammorphosis". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1533, from Latin metamorphōsis, from Ancient Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamórphōsis), from μετά (metá, “change”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”). Analyzable as meta- + -morph + -osis The correct English form is metamorphosis, spelled M-E-T-A-M-O-R-P-H-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A transformation, such as one performed by magic.
  2. 2
    A noticeable change in character, appearance, function, or condition.
  3. 3
    A change in the form and often habits of an animal after the embryonic stage during normal development (e.g. the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly or a tadpole into a frog).
  4. 4
    A change, usually degenerative, in the structure of a specific body tissue.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how metamorphosis appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. With Severne she along doth go, / Her Metamorphosis to show ; / And makes the wand’ring Wy declaim / In honour of the British name.
  2. I wonder’d at ſuch a Metamorphoſis in ſo ſhort a time, he told me, ’twas for the death of his Wife, that Nature had thus antedated his Years ; ’tis true, that a weighty ſetled ſorrow is of that force, that beſides the contraction of the Spirits, it will work upon the radical moiſture, and dry it up, ſo that the Hair can have no moiſture at the Root.

Etymology

First attested in 1533, from Latin metamorphōsis, from Ancient Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamórphōsis), from μετά (metá, “change”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”). Analyzable as meta- + -morph + -osis

This word in other languages

metamorfosis(Español)métamorphose(Français)Verwandlung(Deutsch)mudança(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emtamorphosis
  • meatmorphosis
  • metammorphosis
  • metamoprhosis
  • metamorhposis
  • metamorphhosis
  • metamorphoiss
  • metamorphosiss
  • metamorphossi
  • metamorphossis
  • metamorphsois
  • metamorpohsis
  • metamorpphosis
  • metamorrphosis
  • metamrophosis
  • metaomrphosis
  • metmaorphosis
  • mettamorphosis
  • mmetamorphosis
  • mteamorphosis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emtamorphosis2meatmorphosis2metammorphosis1metamoprhosis2metamorhposis2metamorphhosis1metamorphoiss2metamorphosiss1
Edit distance from "metamorphosis"

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 "metamorphosis"?
"metamorphosis" is spelled M-E-T-A-M-O-R-P-H-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/.
What does "metamorphosis" mean?
As a noun, "metamorphosis" means: A transformation, such as one performed by magic.
What are common misspellings of "metamorphosis"?
Common misspellings include "emtamorphosis", "meatmorphosis", "metammorphosis", "metamoprhosis", "metamorhposis". The correct spelling is "metamorphosis".
How do you pronounce "metamorphosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metamorphosis" is /ˌmɛtəˈmɔːfəsɪs/. 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 "metamorphosis"?
First attested in 1533, from Latin metamorphōsis, from Ancient Greek μεταμόρφωσις (metamórphōsis), from μετά (metá, “change”) + μορφή (morphḗ, “form”). Analyzable as meta- + -morph + -osis 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 "metamorphosis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 13 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

incriminating#27,878consequential#27,786categorically#27,766unconsciously#27,685

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (20 here; floor ≥5).

alphabetically20 variantsresponsiveness20 variantsquartermaster20 variantsexperimentally20 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list