mislay
/mɪsˈleɪ/
"mislay" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mislay” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To leave or lay something in the wrong place and then forget where one put it.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mislay |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /mɪsˈleɪ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mislay” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mislay is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪsˈleɪ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
mislay doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mysse layen, equivalent to mis- + lay. The correct English form is mislay, spelled M-I-S-L-A-Y.
Definition
- 1To leave or lay something in the wrong place and then forget where one put it.
- 2To err in placing something.
Etymology
From Middle English mysse layen, equivalent to mis- + lay.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “mislay”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-I-S-L-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /mɪsˈleɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.