microwave

/ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv/

//ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“microwave” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,633. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,633
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves.

Corpus desk

Index EN-microwave · microwave · English

microwave · rank #9,633 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,633
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH messaging

Nearest frequency peer: messaging (-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 “microwave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “microwave” 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 microwave
PropertyValue
Headwordmicrowave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,633
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “microwave”

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).microwavelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “messaging” (#9,632), “Midwest” (#9,634), “melting” (#9,631). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “microwave” is #9,633. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around microwave (IPA /ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,633 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for microwave, with forms such as "imcrowave", "mcirowave", and "miccrowave". 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: From micro- + wave. The correct English form is microwave, spelled M-I-C-R-O-W-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of microwave oven.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Many radar systems use a combination of radio waves and microwaves.
  2. Microwaves do not follow the curvature of the earth, but travel in a straight line. They must therefore have unobstructed "line of sight" and the dish aerials have to be sited on towers or high buildings, on high ground, or a combination of all three.

Etymology

From micro- + wave.

This word in other languages

microonda(Español)micro-onde(Français)Mikrowelle(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imcrowave
  • mcirowave
  • miccrowave
  • micorwave
  • microawve
  • microwaev
  • microwavve
  • microwvae
  • microwwave
  • micrrowave
  • micrwoave
  • mircowave
  • mmicrowave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imcrowave2mcirowave2miccrowave1micorwave2microawve2microwaev2microwavve1microwvae2
Edit distance from "microwave"

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 "microwave"?
"microwave" is spelled M-I-C-R-O-W-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv/.
What does "microwave" mean?
As a noun, "microwave" means: An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves.
What are common misspellings of "microwave"?
Common misspellings include "imcrowave", "mcirowave", "miccrowave", "micorwave", "microawve". The correct spelling is "microwave".
How do you pronounce "microwave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "microwave" is /ˈmaɪkɹəˌweɪv/. 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 "microwave"?
From micro- + wave. 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 "microwave", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

messaging#9,632performer#9,646primitive#9,651freestyle#9,612

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

fletcher13 variantsrestrict13 variantsrighteous13 variantsconfront13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list