moko

noun

"moko" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moko” is uncommon English (frequency #86,527 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#86,527
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traditional Maori tattoo (image made in the skin), traditionally done with chisels; also, such an image used as a personal sign or signature.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moko · moko · English

moko · rank #86,527 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #86,527
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH monoplane

Nearest frequency peer: monoplane (+2 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 “moko”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for moko
PropertyValue
Headwordmoko
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters4
Frequency rank#86,527
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “moko” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mokofalls 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: “monoplane” (#86,529), “mooching” (#86,530), “mopey” (#86,531). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moko” is #86,527. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

moko is uncommon English at frequency #86,527 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A traditional Maori tattoo (image made in the skin), traditionally done with chisels; also, such an image used as a personal sign or signature.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for moko, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Māori moko. The correct English form is moko, spelled M-O-K-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional Maori tattoo (image made in the skin), traditionally done with chisels; also, such an image used as a personal sign or signature.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No calligraphist could have drawn the moko so perfectly in the short time the fingers execute it.
  2. He decides to overtrace the moko on Te Rau's face.

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori moko.

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 "moko"?
"moko" is spelled M-O-K-O.
What does "moko" mean?
As a noun, "moko" means: A traditional Maori tattoo (image made in the skin), traditionally done with chisels; also, such an image used as a personal sign or signature.
What is the origin of the word "moko"?
Borrowed from Māori moko. 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 "moko", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list