mimic
/ˈmɪm.ɪk/
"mimic" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mimic” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,218. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #15,218
- frequency rank, English
- 4,057
- “M” headwords
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 19
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
Corpus desk
Index EN-mimic · mimic · English
mimic · rank #15,218 · 7 variants · 19 confusables
- FREQ-MID #15,218
- LEN-MID 5 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
- VAR-MID 7 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,057
- PHOTO-FINISH McLaren
Nearest frequency peer: McLaren (-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 “mimic”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- magnesium
magnesium
84,786 corpus weight
- malware
malware
84,785 corpus weight
- McLaren
McLaren
84,784 corpus weight
- mimic
mimic
84,783 corpus weight
- mindful
mindful
84,782 corpus weight
- mural
mural
84,780 corpus weight
What this shows “mimic” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mimic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈmɪm.ɪk/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #15,218 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 19 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mimic”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 7 spelling variants around mimic (IPA /ˈmɪm.ɪk/), averb. Corpus frequency is #15,218 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mimic, with forms such as "immic", "miimc", and "mimci". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "MMC", "mini", "MIRI", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin mīmicus, from Ancient Greek μῑμικός (mīmikós, “belonging to mimes”), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”); see mime. The correct English form is mimic, spelled M-I-M-I-C.
Definition
- 1To imitate, especially in order to ridicule.
- 2To take on the appearance of another, for protection or camouflage.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how mimic appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
An artificial kidney these days still means a refrigerator-sized dialysis machine. Such devices mimic the way real kidneys cleanse blood and eject impurities and surplus water as urine.
Etymology
From Latin mīmicus, from Ancient Greek μῑμικός (mīmikós, “belonging to mimes”), from μῖμος (mîmos, “imitator, actor”); see mime.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- immic
- miimc
- mimci
- mimicc
- mimmic
- mmiic
- mmimic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mimic - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mimic", 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 (7 here; floor ≥5).