mollify

/ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/

//ˈmɒlɪfaɪ// verb

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

"mollify" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mollify” is uncommon English (frequency #90,740 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,740
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To ease a burden, particularly to ease a worry; make less painful; to comfort.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mollify · mollify · English

mollify · rank #90,740 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,740
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mizzen

Nearest frequency peer: mizzen (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “mollify”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mollify
PropertyValue
Headwordmollify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#90,740
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mollify” in English

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).mollifyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “mizzen” (#90,739), “monadnock” (#90,742), “misconstrue” (#90,737). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mollify” is #90,740. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mollify is uncommon English at frequency #90,740 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for mollify in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. 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: From Middle English mollifien, from Late Latin mollificō, from Latin mollis (“soft”). The correct English form is mollify, spelled M-O-L-L-I-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To ease a burden, particularly to ease a worry; make less painful; to comfort.
  2. 2
    To appease anger, pacify, gain the good will of.
  3. 3
    To soften; to make tender.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. mollify someone’s anger
  2. attempt to mollify

Etymology

From Middle English mollifien, from Late Latin mollificō, from Latin mollis (“soft”).

Synonyms

assuagecalmcomfortmitigatesootheappeaseconciliatepacifyplacatepropitiatesatisfysoftensoften uptenderizetemperdeharden

This word in other languages

enternecer(Español)apaiser(Français)mildern(Deutsch)apaziguar(Português)

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 "mollify"?
"mollify" is spelled M-O-L-L-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/.
What does "mollify" mean?
As a verb, "mollify" means: To ease a burden, particularly to ease a worry; make less painful; to comfort.
How do you pronounce "mollify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mollify" is /ˈmɒlɪfaɪ/. 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 "mollify"?
From Middle English mollifien, from Late Latin mollificō, from Latin mollis (“soft”). 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 "mollify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Miletus#90,732Novotny#90,779maddock#90,687Panjabi#90,818

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list