misspell

/mɪsˈspɛl/

//mɪsˈspɛl// verb

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

The verdict

“misspell” is an uncommon English word, ranked #70,089 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#70,089
frequency rank, English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To spell incorrectly.

Key facts for misspell
PropertyValue
Headwordmisspell
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mɪsˈspɛl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#70,089
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “misspell” 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). misspell 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 misspell is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪsˈspɛl/. Corpus data places it at rank #70,089 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To spell incorrectly.".

No misspelling variants are generated for misspell in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mis- + spell. The correct English form is misspell, spelled M-I-S-S-P-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To spell incorrectly.

Etymology

From mis- + spell.

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 "misspell"?
"misspell" is spelled M-I-S-S-P-E-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪsˈspɛl/.
What does "misspell" mean?
As a verb, "misspell" means: To spell incorrectly.
How do you pronounce "misspell"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "misspell" is /mɪsˈspɛl/. 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 "misspell"?
From mis- + spell. 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 “misspell”

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

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