misplace

/mɪsˈpleɪs/

//mɪsˈpleɪs// verb

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

"misplace" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“misplace” is an uncommon English word, ranked #68,448 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#68,448
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To put something somewhere and then forget its location; to mislay.

Key facts for misplace
PropertyValue
Headwordmisplace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mɪsˈpleɪs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,448
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “misplace” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for misplace is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪsˈpleɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #68,448 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

misplace has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mis- + place. The correct English form is misplace, spelled M-I-S-P-L-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To put something somewhere and then forget its location; to mislay.
  2. 2
    To apply one's talents inappropriately.
  3. 3
    To put something in the wrong location.

Etymology

From mis- + place.

Synonyms

mislay

This word in other languages

extraviar(Español)égarer(Français)verlegen(Deutsch)perder(Português)

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 "misplace"?
"misplace" is spelled M-I-S-P-L-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪsˈpleɪs/.
What does "misplace" mean?
As a verb, "misplace" means: To put something somewhere and then forget its location; to mislay.
How do you pronounce "misplace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "misplace" is /mɪsˈpleɪs/. 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 "misplace"?
From mis- + place. 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.

Using “misplace”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-I-S-P-L-A-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɪsˈpleɪs/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list