mistakes

/mɪˈsteɪks/

//mɪˈsteɪks// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mistakes” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,316. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,316
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - plural of mistake

Corpus desk

Index EN-mistakes · mistakes · English

mistakes · rank #3,316 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,316
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH minds

Nearest frequency peer: minds (-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 “mistakes”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mistakes” 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).

mistakes vs mistake
88% similar
mistakes vs mistaken
88% similar

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

Key facts for mistakes
PropertyValue
Headwordmistakes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɪˈsteɪks/
Letters8
Frequency rank#3,316
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mistakes”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “minds” (#3,315), “mystery” (#3,317), “math” (#3,314). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mistakes” is #3,316. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around mistakes (IPA /mɪˈsteɪks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,316 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "plural of mistake".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for mistakes, with forms such as "imstakes", "misatkes", and "misstakes". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "mistake", "mistaken", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is mistakes, spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of mistake

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imstakes
  • misatkes
  • misstakes
  • mistaeks
  • mistakess
  • mistakkes
  • mistakse
  • mistkaes
  • misttakes
  • mitsakes
  • mmistakes
  • msitakes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mistakes - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

imstakes2misatkes2misstakes1mistaeks2mistakess1mistakkes1mistakse2mistkaes2
Edit distance from "mistakes"

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 "mistakes"?
"mistakes" is spelled M-I-S-T-A-K-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪˈsteɪks/.
What does "mistakes" mean?
As a noun, "mistakes" means: plural of mistake
What words are commonly confused with "mistakes"?
"mistakes" is commonly confused with "mistake", "mistaken". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mistakes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mistakes" is /mɪˈsteɪks/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mistakes" come from?
"mistakes" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 "mistakes", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

networks#3,318Olympics#3,319innocent#3,309informed#3,308

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

mystery12 variantsencourage12 variantsdiscussed12 variantscovering12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list