mishap
/ˈmɪshæp/noun
mishap is spelled M-I-S-H-A-P: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mishap means “An accident, mistake, or problem” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mishap is mishaps.
How many letters and syllables are in mishap?
| Letters | 6: M-I-S-H-A-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.0 times per million words; the 28,918th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is mishap?
Mishap appears 1.0 times per million words in written English, the 28,918th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mishap?
- /ˈmɪshæp/
As a verb (“To happen through misfortune; to mishappen”): /mɪsˈhæp/.
Mishap has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mishap.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mishap2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of mishap
- mishaps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mishapping participle, present
- mishapped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mishap mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An accident, mistake, or problem.
Since the mishap with the banana peel, he watches his step.
- 2
Ill luck; misfortune; mischance.
verb
- 1
archaicTo happen through misfortune; to mishappen.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mishap in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | erreur, accident , malheur |
| German | Missgeschick, kleine Ungeschicktheit, kleines Unglück, Malheur |
| Portuguese | acidente |
| Spanish | percance |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mishap come from?
From Middle English mishap, myshappe, myssehappe, equivalent to mis- + hap.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).