molehill
/ˈməʊlhɪl/noun, verb
molehill is spelled M-O-L-E-H-I-L-L: 8 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, molehill means “A small mound of earth created by a mole's burrowing underneath the surface of the ground” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of molehill is molehills.
How many letters and syllables are in molehill?
| Letters | 8: M-O-L-E-H-I-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 9 million words; the 91,522nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is molehill?
Molehill appears about once in every 9 million words in written English, the 91,522nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce molehill?
- /ˈməʊlhɪl/
Molehill has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-molehill.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with molehill
Also written: mole hill (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of molehill
- molehills plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- molehilling participle, present
- molehilled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does molehill mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small mound of earth created by a mole's burrowing underneath the surface of the ground.
verb
- 1
To exaggerate a problem and perceive it as larger or worse than it actually is.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Molehill in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense A small mound of earth:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | taupinière |
| German | Maulwurfshügel, Maulwurfshaufen |
| Portuguese | monte/montículo de toupeira |
| Spanish | topera, topinera |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does molehill come from?
From mole + hill. The verb sense comes from the idiom make a mountain out of a molehill.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).