molest

/məˈlɛst/

//məˈlɛst// verb

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

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

The verdict

“molest” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,346. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,346
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
16
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To sexually assault or sexually harass.

Corpus desk

Index EN-molest · molest · English

molest · rank #40,346 · 9 variants · 16 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,346
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 16 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH modulator

Nearest frequency peer: modulator (-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 “molest”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “molest” 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).

molest vs most
67% similar
molest vs moves
67% similar
molest vs Moses
50% similar

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

Key facts for molest
PropertyValue
Headwordmolest
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/məˈlɛst/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,346
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs16
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “molest”

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).molestlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “modulator” (#40,345), “monetization” (#40,347), “mobilisation” (#40,343). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “molest” is #40,346. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around molest (IPA /məˈlɛst/), averb. Corpus frequency is #40,346 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for molest, with forms such as "mloest", "mmolest", and "moelst". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 16 confusable-pair relationships, "most", "moves", "Moses", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole. The correct English form is molest, spelled M-O-L-E-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To sexually assault or sexually harass.
  2. 2
    To annoy, trouble, or afflict.
  3. 3
    To disturb or tamper with.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At last he simmered down, choked out his explanations. And the news was indeed enormous. That afternoon, just three hours earlier, his younger sister, Gina, had been molested, debauched, as she crossed a children's playground in the park.
  2. They have molested the church with needless opposition.

Etymology

From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole.

This word in other languages

molestar(Español)embêter(Français)belästigen(Deutsch)molestar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mloest
  • mmolest
  • moelst
  • molesst
  • molestt
  • molets
  • mollest
  • molset
  • omlest

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mloest2mmolest1moelst2molesst1molestt1molets2mollest1molset2
Edit distance from "molest"

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 "molest"?
"molest" is spelled M-O-L-E-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈlɛst/.
What does "molest" mean?
As a verb, "molest" means: To sexually assault or sexually harass.
What words are commonly confused with "molest"?
"molest" is commonly confused with "most", "moves", "Moses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "molest"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "molest" is /məˈlɛst/. 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 "molest"?
From Middle English molesten, from Old French molester, from Latin molestō (“to trouble, annoy, molest”), from molestus (“troublesome”), from moles (“a burden, difficulty, labor, trouble”); see mole. 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 "molest", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mullah#40,353Malays#40,333nicked#40,359Lawrie#40,324

Similar misspelling depth

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

overrule9 variantspacify9 variantsJenson9 variantspurring9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list