mollycoddle

/ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl/

//ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl// noun

"mollycoddle" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mollycoddle” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person, especially a man or a boy, who is pampered and overprotected.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mollycoddle · mollycoddle · English

mollycoddle · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for mollycoddle
PropertyValue
Headwordmollycoddle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mollycoddle” in English

mollycoddleranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mollycoddle is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person, especially a man or a boy, who is pampered and overprotected.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for mollycoddle in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From molly + coddle. The correct English form is mollycoddle, spelled M-O-L-L-Y-C-O-D-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person, especially a man or a boy, who is pampered and overprotected.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You have been bred up as a molly-coddle, Pen, and spoilt by the women.
  2. No matter what pacifist "flubdubs and flapdoodle mollycoddles" might say, the President [Teddy Roosevelt] knew that if there were a general war then America could well be drawn into it.

Etymology

From molly + coddle.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mollycoddle"?
"mollycoddle" is spelled M-O-L-L-Y-C-O-D-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl/.
What does "mollycoddle" mean?
As a noun, "mollycoddle" means: A person, especially a man or a boy, who is pampered and overprotected.
How do you pronounce "mollycoddle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mollycoddle" is /ˈmɒl.ɪˌkɒd.əl/. 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 "mollycoddle"?
From molly + coddle. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list