# mirth

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɜɹθ/ · frequency rank #46,070

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

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **mit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mit)
- **MRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mrt)
- **myth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-myth)
- **mist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mist)
- **moth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-moth)
- **mitt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mitt)
- **mite** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mite)
- **mort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mort)
- **month** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-month)
- **mouth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mouth)
- **mitch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mitch)
- **misty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-misty)
- **Morty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-morty)
- **morph** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-morph)
- **mirza** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mirza)
- **mists** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-mists)
- **myrrh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-myrrh)
- **Murthy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mirth-vs-murthy)
- **mir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mir-vs-mirth)
- **math** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/math-vs-mirth)

## Common misspellings (8)
`imrth`, `mirht`, `mirrth`, `mirthh`, `mirtth`, `mitrh`, `mmirth`, `mrith`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mirth