mettle

/ˈmɛtəl/

//ˈmɛtəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mettle” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,798. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,798
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A quality of courage and endurance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mettle · mettle · English

mettle · rank #40,798 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,798
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mendelssohn

Nearest frequency peer: Mendelssohn (-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 “mettle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mettle” 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).

mettle vs myrtle
67% similar
mettle vs mottled
71% similar
mettle vs metal
67% similar

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

Key facts for mettle
PropertyValue
Headwordmettle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛtəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,798
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mettle”

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).mettlelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Mendelssohn” (#40,797), “militancy” (#40,799), “meld” (#40,795). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mettle” is #40,798. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mettle (IPA /ˈmɛtəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,798 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mettle, with forms such as "emttle", "metle", and "metlte". 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 also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "myrtle", "mottled", "metal", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From figurative use of metal (since 16th century). The two spellings were originally interchangeable variants, but came to be distinguished by sense in the 18th century. The correct English form is mettle, spelled M-E-T-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A quality of courage and endurance.
  2. 2
    Good temperament and character.
  3. 3
    Obsolete spelling of metal (“metallic substance”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. By this Day and this Light, the fellow ha's mettell enough in his belly.
  2. Please read on and discover the issues in education that test the mettle of those who experience this world every day.

Etymology

From figurative use of metal (since 16th century). The two spellings were originally interchangeable variants, but came to be distinguished by sense in the 18th century.

This word in other languages

prouesse(Français)Mut(Deutsch)firmeza(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emttle
  • metle
  • metlte
  • mettel
  • mettlle
  • mmettle
  • mtetle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emttle2metle1metlte2mettel2mettlle1mmettle1mtetle2
Edit distance from "mettle"

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 "mettle"?
"mettle" is spelled M-E-T-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛtəl/.
What does "mettle" mean?
As a noun, "mettle" means: A quality of courage and endurance.
What words are commonly confused with "mettle"?
"mettle" is commonly confused with "myrtle", "mottled", "metal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mettle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mettle" is /ˈmɛtəl/. 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 "mettle"?
From figurative use of metal (since 16th century). The two spellings were originally interchangeable variants, but came to be distinguished by sense in the 18th century. 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 "mettle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

moulin#40,803Mahmud#40,790Madsen#40,788ledges#40,779

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

lapped7 variantsKwame7 variantsJabbar7 variantsInman7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list