modern

/ˈmɒd(ə)n/

//ˈmɒd(ə)n// adj

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

"modern" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“modern” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #908. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#908
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pertaining to a current or recent time and style; not ancient.

Corpus desk

Index EN-modern · modern · English

modern · rank #908 · 9 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #908
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH loss

Nearest frequency peer: loss (-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 “modern”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “modern” 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).

modern vs morn
67% similar
modern vs mourn
67% similar
modern vs mover
67% similar

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

Key facts for modern
PropertyValue
Headwordmodern
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɒd(ə)n/
Letters6
Frequency rank#908
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “modern”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).modernlands 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 “loss” (#907), “ones” (#909), “knows” (#906). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “modern” is #908. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around modern (IPA /ˈmɒd(ə)n/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #908 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for modern, with forms such as "mdoern", "mmodern", and "moddern". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "morn", "mourn", "mover", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French moderne, from Late Latin modernus; from Latin modo (“just now”), originally ablative of modus (“measure”); hence, by measure, "just now". See also mode. The correct English form is modern, spelled M-O-D-E-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pertaining to a current or recent time and style; not ancient.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to the modern period (c.1800 to contemporary times), particularly in academic historiography.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Our online interactive game is a modern approach to teaching about gum disease. Although it was built in the 1600s, the building still has a very modern look.
  2. But then I had the flintlock by me for protection. ¶ There were giants in the days when that gun was made; for surely no modern mortal could have held that mass of metal steady to his shoulder. The linen-press and a chest on the top of it formed, however, a very good gun-carriage; and, thus mounted, aim could be taken out of the window[…].

Etymology

From Middle French moderne, from Late Latin modernus; from Latin modo (“just now”), originally ablative of modus (“measure”); hence, by measure, "just now". See also mode.

Synonyms

contemporarycurrentpresent

Antonyms

ancientdatedformerhistoricaloldold-fashionedpastpremodern

This word in other languages

moderno(Español)moderne(Français)modern(Deutsch)moderno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mdoern
  • mmodern
  • moddern
  • modenr
  • modernn
  • moderrn
  • modren
  • moedrn
  • omdern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of modern - 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.

mdoern2mmodern1moddern1modenr2modernn1moderrn1modren2moedrn2
Edit distance from "modern"

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 "modern"?
"modern" is spelled M-O-D-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒd(ə)n/.
What does "modern" mean?
As an adjective, "modern" means: Pertaining to a current or recent time and style; not ancient.
What words are commonly confused with "modern"?
"modern" is commonly confused with "morn", "mourn", "mover". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "modern"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "modern" is /ˈmɒd(ə)n/. 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 "modern"?
From Middle French moderne, from Late Latin modernus; from Latin modo (“just now”), originally ablative of modus (“measure”); hence, by measure, "just now". See also mode. 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 "modern", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

figure#904career#896forget#924listen#929

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

simple9 variantsMichael9 variantsevents9 variantsmissing9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list