misty

/ˈmɪsti/

//ˈmɪsti// adj

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

"misty" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“misty” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,418. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,418
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Covered in mist; foggy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-misty · misty · English

misty · rank #17,418 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,418
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH misplaced

Nearest frequency peer: misplaced (-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 “misty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “misty” 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).

misty vs mit
60% similar
misty vs MST
0% similar
misty vs most
60% similar

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

Key facts for misty
PropertyValue
Headwordmisty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɪsti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,418
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “misty”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).mistylands 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 “misplaced” (#17,417), “MILF” (#17,416), “meteorological” (#17,415). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “misty” is #17,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around misty (IPA /ˈmɪsti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #17,418 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for misty, with forms such as "imsty", "missty", and "mistty". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mit", "MST", "most", 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 Middle English misty, mysty, misti, from Old English mistiġ (“misty, dark”), from Proto-West Germanic *mistig (“misty”), equivalent to mist + -y. Cognate with Scots misty, mistie (“misty”), West Frisian mistich (“misty, foggy”), Dutch mistig (“misty, f… The correct English form is misty, spelled M-I-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Covered in mist; foggy.
  2. 2
    Dim; vague; obscure.
  3. 3
    With tears in the eyes; dewy-eyed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It's very misty this morning; I can't see a thing!
  2. a misty memory of his childhood

Etymology

From Middle English misty, mysty, misti, from Old English mistiġ (“misty, dark”), from Proto-West Germanic *mistig (“misty”), equivalent to mist + -y. Cognate with Scots misty, mistie (“misty”), West Frisian mistich (“misty, foggy”), Dutch mistig (“misty, foggy”), German Low German mistig (“foggy”).

This word in other languages

neblinoso(Español)brumeux(Français)nublado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • imsty
  • missty
  • mistty
  • mistyy
  • misyt
  • mitsy
  • mmisty
  • msity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of misty - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

imsty2missty1mistty1mistyy1misyt2mitsy2mmisty1msity2
Edit distance from "misty"

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 "misty"?
"misty" is spelled M-I-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪsti/.
What does "misty" mean?
As an adjective, "misty" means: Covered in mist; foggy.
What words are commonly confused with "misty"?
"misty" is commonly confused with "mit", "MST", "most". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "misty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "misty" is /ˈmɪsti/. 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 "misty"?
From Middle English misty, mysty, misti, from Old English mistiġ (“misty, dark”), from Proto-West Germanic *mistig (“misty”), equivalent to mist + -y. Cognate with Scots misty, mistie (“misty”), West Frisian mistich (“misty, foggy”), Dutch mistig ... 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 "misty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

maxim#17,411Malay#17,407pinky#17,444Huang#17,387

Similar misspelling depth

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

gritty8 variantsgenera8 variantsfutile8 variantsencore8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list