might

/maɪt/

//maɪt// noun

"might" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“might” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #207. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#207
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Power, strength, force, or influence held by a person or group.

Corpus desk

Index EN-might · might · English

might · rank #207 · 8 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #207
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH keep

Nearest frequency peer: keep (-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 “might”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “might” 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).

might vs mit
60% similar
might vs mint
60% similar
might vs mist
60% similar

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

Key facts for might
PropertyValue
Headwordmight
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/maɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#207
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “might”

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).mightlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “keep” (#206), “please” (#208), “family” (#205). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “might” is #207. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around might (IPA /maɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #207 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for might, with forms such as "imght", "mgiht", and "migght". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "mit", "mint", "mist", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, … The correct English form is might, spelled M-I-G-H-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Power, strength, force, or influence held by a person or group.
  2. 2
    Physical strength or force.
  3. 3
    The ability to do something.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […]ſtrengthed with all myght, thꝛough his gloꝛious power, unto all pacience and long ſufferyng with ioifulneſſe[…]
  2. This is the richest, the most powerful country which ever occupied this globe. The might of past empires is little compared to ours. But I do not want to be the president who built empires or sought grandeur or extended dominion. I want to be the president who educated young children to the wonders of their world.

Etymology

From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic *mahtiz, *mahtuz (“might, power”), from Proto-Indo-European *mógʰtis, *megʰ- (“to allow, be able, help”), corresponding to Germanic *maganą + *-þiz. Equivalent to may + -th. Cognate with Scots micht, maucht (“might”), North Frisian macht (“might, ability”), West Frisian macht (“might, ability”), Dutch macht (“might, power”), German Macht (“power, might”), Swedish makt (“might”), Norwegian makt (“power”), Icelandic máttur (“might”), Gothic 𐌼𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 (mahts), and further to Russian мочь (močʹ, “power, might”) and мощь (moščʹ, “force, strength”), Ukrainian міч (mič) and міць (micʹ, “power”), Bulgarian мощ (mošt, “power, might”), Serbo-Croatian moć (“power”), Czech moc (“power”), Polish moc (“power”). See more at may.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imght
  • mgiht
  • migght
  • mighht
  • mightt
  • migth
  • mihgt
  • mmight

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of might - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imght2mgiht2migght1mighht1mightt1migth2mihgt2mmight1
Edit distance from "might"

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 "might"?
"might" is spelled M-I-G-H-T. The IPA pronunciation is /maɪt/.
What does "might" mean?
As a noun, "might" means: Power, strength, force, or influence held by a person or group.
What words are commonly confused with "might"?
"might" is commonly confused with "mit", "mint", "mist". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "might"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "might" is /maɪt/. 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 "might"?
From Middle English myght, might (also maught, macht, maht), from Old English miht, mieht, meaht, mæht (“might, bodily strength, power, authority, ability, virtue, mighty work, miracle, angel”), from Proto-West Germanic *mahti, from Proto-Germanic... 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 "might", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list