missile

/ˈmɪs.aɪl/

//ˈmɪs.aɪl// noun

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

"missile" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“missile” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,712. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,712
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or fired through the air, such as stone, arrow or bullet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-missile · missile · English

missile · rank #5,712 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,712
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH migration

Nearest frequency peer: migration (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “missile”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “missile” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

missile vs missing
71% similar
missile vs mission
71% similar
missile vs Massie
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for missile
PropertyValue
Headwordmissile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪs.aɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,712
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “missile”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “migration” (#5,711), “motivated” (#5,713), “meaningful” (#5,710). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “missile” is #5,712. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around missile (IPA /ˈmɪs.aɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,712 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for missile, with forms such as "imssile", "misile", and "misisle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "missing", "mission", "Massie", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin missile (“thrown weapon, projectile”), neuter of missilis (“throwable, capable of being thrown”), from mittere (“to send”). From 1611. Compare Middle French missile (“projectile”), from 1636. The correct English form is missile, spelled M-I-S-S-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or fired through the air, such as stone, arrow or bullet.
  2. 2
    A self-propelled projectile whose trajectory can be adjusted after it is launched.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how missile appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The Rhodians, who used leaden bullets, were able to project their missiles twice as far as the Persian slingers, who used large stones.
  2. And I saw askant the armies, / I saw as in noiseless dreams hundreds of battle-flags, / Borne through the smoke of the battles and pierc’d with missiles I saw them, / And carried hither and yon through the smoke, and torn and bloody, / And at last but a few shreds left on the staffs, (and all in silence,) / And the staffs all splinter’d and broken.

Etymology

From Latin missile (“thrown weapon, projectile”), neuter of missilis (“throwable, capable of being thrown”), from mittere (“to send”). From 1611. Compare Middle French missile (“projectile”), from 1636.

This word in other languages

proyectil(Español)projectile(Français)Geschoss(Deutsch)míssil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imssile
  • misile
  • misisle
  • missiel
  • missille
  • misslie
  • mmissile
  • msisile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of missile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

imssile2misile1misisle2missiel2missille1misslie2mmissile1msisile2
Edit distance from "missile"

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 "missile"?
"missile" is spelled M-I-S-S-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪs.aɪl/.
What does "missile" mean?
As a noun, "missile" means: Any object used as a weapon by being thrown or fired through the air, such as stone, arrow or bullet.
What words are commonly confused with "missile"?
"missile" is commonly confused with "missing", "mission", "Massie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "missile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "missile" is /ˈmɪs.aɪl/. 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 "missile"?
From Latin missile (“thrown weapon, projectile”), neuter of missilis (“throwable, capable of being thrown”), from mittere (“to send”). From 1611. Compare Middle French missile (“projectile”), from 1636. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "missile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

muscles#5,714logical#5,708lecture#5,706justify#5,702

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

nancy8 variantsharsh8 variantsflows8 variantsfarms8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list