molecule

/ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/

//ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“molecule” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,746. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,746
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The smallest particle of a specific element or compound that retains the chemical properties of that element or compound; two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.

Corpus desk

Index EN-molecule · molecule · English

molecule · rank #11,746 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #11,746
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mole

Nearest frequency peer: mole (-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 “molecule”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “molecule” 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).

molecule vs molecular
78% similar

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

Key facts for molecule
PropertyValue
Headwordmolecule
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,746
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “molecule”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).moleculelands 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 “mole” (#11,745), “monarchy” (#11,747), “mist” (#11,744). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “molecule” is #11,746. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around molecule (IPA /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,746 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for molecule, with forms such as "mloecule", "mmolecule", and "moelcule". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "molecular", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French molécule, from New Latin molecula (“a molecule”), diminutive of Latin moles (“a mass”). The correct English form is molecule, spelled M-O-L-E-C-U-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The smallest particle of a specific element or compound that retains the chemical properties of that element or compound; two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
  2. 2
    A tiny amount.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hydrogen chloride is a diatomic molecule, consisting of a hydrogen atom and a chlorine atom.
  2. The critical component of the photosynthetic system is the “water-oxidizing complex”, made up of manganese atoms and a calcium atom. This system splits water molecules and delivers some of their electrons to other molecules that help build up carbohydrates.

Etymology

Borrowed from French molécule, from New Latin molecula (“a molecule”), diminutive of Latin moles (“a mass”).

Synonyms

molecule

This word in other languages

molécula(Español)molécule(Français)Molekül(Deutsch)molécula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mloecule
  • mmolecule
  • moelcule
  • molceule
  • moleccule
  • moleclue
  • molecuel
  • moleculle
  • moleucle
  • mollecule
  • omlecule

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mloecule2mmolecule1moelcule2molceule2moleccule1moleclue2molecuel2moleculle1
Edit distance from "molecule"

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 "molecule"?
"molecule" is spelled M-O-L-E-C-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/.
What does "molecule" mean?
As a noun, "molecule" means: The smallest particle of a specific element or compound that retains the chemical properties of that element or compound; two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds.
What words are commonly confused with "molecule"?
"molecule" is commonly confused with "molecular". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "molecule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "molecule" is /ˈmɒl.ɪ.kjuːl/. 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 "molecule"?
Borrowed from French molécule, from New Latin molecula (“a molecule”), diminutive of Latin moles (“a mass”). 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 "molecule", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

monarchy#11,747muscular#11,749Meredith#11,741mattress#11,740

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

peculiar11 variantshashtag11 variantsdumping11 variantsTheodore11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list