molasses

/məˈlæsɪz/

//məˈlæsɪz// noun

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

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

The verdict

“molasses” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,000. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,000
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

molasses vs masses
75% similar

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

Key facts for molasses
PropertyValue
Headwordmolasses
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈlæsɪz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#29,000
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “molasses” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around molasses (IPA /məˈlæsɪz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,000 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for molasses, with forms such as "mloasses", "mmolasses", and "moalsses". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "masses", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Portuguese melaços or Spanish melazos, from Late Latin mellacium (“must, honey-sweet thing”), from mel (“honey”) + -āceus (“-aceous”) + -ium, q.v. Some alternative forms derived or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, conjectured to derive … The correct English form is molasses, spelled M-O-L-A-S-S-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.
  2. 2
    Any similarly thick and sweet syrup produced by boiling down fruit juices, tree saps, etc., especially concentrated maple syrup.
  3. 3
    Anything considered figuratively sweet, especially sweet words.
  4. 4
    Something which moves or works extremely slowly.
  5. 5
    plural of molass: whiskey made from molasses.
  6. 6
    Synonym of molass: whiskey made from molasses.

Etymology

From Portuguese melaços or Spanish melazos, from Late Latin mellacium (“must, honey-sweet thing”), from mel (“honey”) + -āceus (“-aceous”) + -ium, q.v. Some alternative forms derived or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, conjectured to derive from unattested Late Latin mellacea, from mel + -ācea.

Synonyms

long sweeteningtreacletheriacsorghum syrupcane syrupsugar and honey

This word in other languages

melaza(Español)mélasse(Français)Melasse(Deutsch)melaço(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mloasses,mmolasses,moalsses,molases,molasess,molassess,molassse,mollasses,molsases,omlasses

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mloasses2mmolasses1moalsses2molases1molasess2molassess1molassse2mollasses1
Edit distance from "molasses"

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 "molasses"?
"molasses" is spelled M-O-L-A-S-S-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈlæsɪz/.
What does "molasses" mean?
As a noun, "molasses" means: A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.
What words are commonly confused with "molasses"?
"molasses" is commonly confused with "masses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "molasses"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "molasses" is /məˈlæsɪz/. 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 "molasses"?
From Portuguese melaços or Spanish melazos, from Late Latin mellacium (“must, honey-sweet thing”), from mel (“honey”) + -āceus (“-aceous”) + -ium, q.v. Some alternative forms derived or influenced by Spanish melaza and French mélasse, conjectured ... 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.

Using “molasses”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-L-A-S-S-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /məˈlæsɪz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “masses” - see the side-by-side comparison. molasses vs masses
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list