# misery

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹɪ/ · frequency rank #8,454

## Definitions
1. Great unhappiness; extreme pain of body or mind; wretchedness; distress; woe.
2. A bodily ache or pain.
3. Cause of misery; calamity; misfortune.
4. poverty.
5. greed; avarice.

## Etymology
From Middle English miserie, from Old French miserie (modern: misère), from Latin miseria, from miser, equivalent to miser + -y. Doublet of misère and mizeria.

## Easily confused with
- **Mixer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-mixer)
- **misty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-misty)
- **Missy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-missy)
- **moser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-moser)
- **mister** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-mister)
- **Mishra** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-mishra)
- **mystery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misery-vs-mystery)
- **miner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/miner-vs-misery)
- **Miley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/miley-vs-misery)
- **Mikey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mikey-vs-misery)
- **miser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/miser-vs-misery)
- **mastery** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mastery-vs-misery)

## Common misspellings (9)
`imsery`, `miesry`, `miserry`, `miseryy`, `miseyr`, `misrey`, `missery`, `mmisery`, `msiery`

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