milch

/mɪlt͡ʃ/

//mɪlt͡ʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“milch” is uncommon English (frequency #78,825 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,825
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Used to produce milk; dairy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-milch · milch · English

milch · rank #78,825 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,825
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mirabella

Nearest frequency peer: Mirabella (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “milch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “milch” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for milch
PropertyValue
Headwordmilch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/mɪlt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#78,825
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “milch” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).milchfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Mirabella” (#78,826), “methacrylate” (#78,822), “metastable” (#78,821). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “milch” is #78,825. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

milch is uncommon English at frequency #78,825 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /mɪlt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for milch, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimelċes mōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (“milky, milk-giving”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“to wipe, wipe off, … The correct English form is milch, spelled M-I-L-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Used to produce milk; dairy.
  2. 2
    Currently producing milk for its offspring.
  3. 3
    Tender; pitiful; weeping.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. so many cattle […] old cows and young cows; meek-eyed milch cows and fierce […] Texas steers.
  2. She wildly breaketh from their strict embrace / Like a milch doe, whose swelling dugs do ache / Hasting to feed her fawn, hid in some break.

Etymology

From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimelċes mōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (“milky, milk-giving”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“to wipe, wipe off, milk”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian meelk (“milch”), Low German melke (“milch”), German melk (“milk-giving, milch”), Alemannic German mëlch (“milch, milkable”), Icelandic milkur, mjólkur (“milk-giving”). More at milk. Compare milchig.

This word in other languages

melk(Deutsch)

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 "milch"?
"milch" is spelled M-I-L-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪlt͡ʃ/.
What does "milch" mean?
As an adjective, "milch" means: Used to produce milk; dairy.
How do you pronounce "milch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "milch" is /mɪlt͡ʃ/. 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 "milch"?
From Middle English milche, melche, from Old English *melċe, *milċe (attested in þrimilċe, þrimelċes mōnaþ), from Proto-Germanic *milkijaz, *melkijaz from Proto-Germanic *melkaz (“milky, milk-giving”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂melǵ- (“to wipe, ... 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 "milch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Modis#78,833matsu#78,811Malam#78,805mutha#78,850

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list