mirth

/mɜɹθ/

//mɜɹθ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mirth” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,070. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,070
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mirth · mirth · English

mirth · rank #46,070 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,070
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH minnow

Nearest frequency peer: minnow (-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 “mirth”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mirth” 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).

mirth vs mit
60% similar
mirth vs MRT
0% similar
mirth vs myth
60% similar

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

Key facts for mirth
PropertyValue
Headwordmirth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɜɹθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,070
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mirth”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “minnow” (#46,069), “mitosis” (#46,071), “mnemonic” (#46,072). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mirth” is #46,070. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around mirth (IPA /mɜɹθ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,070 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mirth, with forms such as "imrth", "mirht", and "mirrth". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mit", "MRT", "myth", 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 Middle English merth, myrthe, murhthe, from Old English myrġþ (“mirth, joy”), from Proto-West Germanic *murgiþu (“briefness, brevity”); equivalent to merry + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch merchte (“pleasure, joy, delight”). The correct English form is mirth, spelled M-I-R-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    The emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter.
  2. 2
    That which causes merriment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But sorrow that is couch'd in seeming gladness Is like that mirth fate turns to sudden sadness.
  2. And he began to laugh again, and that so heartily, that, though I did not see the joke as he did, I was again obliged to join him in his mirth.

Etymology

From Middle English merth, myrthe, murhthe, from Old English myrġþ (“mirth, joy”), from Proto-West Germanic *murgiþu (“briefness, brevity”); equivalent to merry + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch merchte (“pleasure, joy, delight”).

This word in other languages

felicidad(Español)gaieté(Français)Fröhlichkeit(Deutsch)alegria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imrth
  • mirht
  • mirrth
  • mirthh
  • mirtth
  • mitrh
  • mmirth
  • mrith

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

imrth2mirht2mirrth1mirthh1mirtth1mitrh2mmirth1mrith2
Edit distance from "mirth"

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 "mirth"?
"mirth" is spelled M-I-R-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /mɜɹθ/.
What does "mirth" mean?
As a noun, "mirth" means: The emotion usually following humor and accompanied by laughter.
What words are commonly confused with "mirth"?
"mirth" is commonly confused with "mit", "MRT", "myth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mirth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mirth" is /mɜɹθ/. 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 "mirth"?
From Middle English merth, myrthe, murhthe, from Old English myrġþ (“mirth, joy”), from Proto-West Germanic *murgiþu (“briefness, brevity”); equivalent to merry + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Cognate with Middle Dutch merchte (“pleasure, joy, de... 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 "mirth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

morel#46,076Moria#46,078Mello#46,056Mayes#46,054

Similar misspelling depth

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

masque8 variantsPassaic8 variantsLytton8 variantsplebs8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list