mistranslation

/mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/

//mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən// noun

"mistranslation" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mistranslation” is uncommon English (frequency #89,641 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,641
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An incorrect translation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mistranslation · mistranslation · English

mistranslation · rank #89,641 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #89,641
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mistrustful

Nearest frequency peer: mistrustful (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “mistranslation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mistranslation” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mistranslation
PropertyValue
Headwordmistranslation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/
Letters14
Frequency rank#89,641
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mistranslation” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “mistrustful” (#89,642), “misapplied” (#89,639), “Mnangagwa” (#89,643). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mistranslation” is #89,641. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mistranslation is uncommon English at frequency #89,641 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for mistranslation, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mis- + translation. The correct English form is mistranslation, spelled M-I-S-T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An incorrect translation.
  2. 2
    The incorporation of the incorrect amino acid into a peptide sequence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. MORE mischief has been done to the cause of truth by mistranslations of, and consequent miscomments on the holy scripture, than is at first thought imagined or perceived.
  2. The second stage in the process by which African cultural realities are often mistransformed through mistranslation by ethnographers is associated with the urgent demand for 'theories' to assist the ethnographer in organising his field data and in presenting the conclusions derived from the data.

Etymology

From mis- + translation.

This word in other languages

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 "mistranslation"?
"mistranslation" is spelled M-I-S-T-R-A-N-S-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/.
What does "mistranslation" mean?
As a noun, "mistranslation" means: An incorrect translation.
How do you pronounce "mistranslation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mistranslation" is /mɪsˈtɹænz.leɪ.ʃən/. 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 "mistranslation"?
From mis- + translation. 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 "mistranslation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list