moly

/ˈməʊli/

//ˈməʊli// noun

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

"moly" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moly” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,676. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,676
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A magic herb or plant used by Odysseus to overcome Circe.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moly · moly · English

moly · rank #36,676 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,676
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH monetize

Nearest frequency peer: monetize (+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 “moly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “moly” 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).

moly vs my
50% similar
moly vs mom
50% similar
moly vs mon
50% similar

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

Key facts for moly
PropertyValue
Headwordmoly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈməʊli/
Letters4
Frequency rank#36,676
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “moly”

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).molylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “monetize” (#36,677), “modality” (#36,674), “monolith” (#36,678). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moly” is #36,676. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around moly (IPA /ˈməʊli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,676 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for moly, with forms such as "mloy", "mmoly", and "molyy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "my", "mom", "mon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin mōly, from Ancient Greek μῶλυ (môlu) (probably a loanword). The correct English form is moly, spelled M-O-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A magic herb or plant used by Odysseus to overcome Circe.
  2. 2
    Any plant associated with the mythological moly, especially the European allium, Allium moly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It excels Homers moly, cures this, falling sickness, and almost all other infirmities.
  2. Or, propt on beds of amaranth and moly, / How sweet (while warm airs lull us, blowing lowly,)

Etymology

From Latin mōly, from Ancient Greek μῶλυ (môlu) (probably a loanword).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mloy
  • mmoly
  • molyy
  • moyl
  • omly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of moly - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

mloy2mmoly1molyy1moyl2omly2
Edit distance from "moly"

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 "moly"?
"moly" is spelled M-O-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈməʊli/.
What does "moly" mean?
As a noun, "moly" means: A magic herb or plant used by Odysseus to overcome Circe.
What words are commonly confused with "moly"?
"moly" is commonly confused with "my", "mom", "mon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "moly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moly" is /ˈməʊli/. 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 "moly"?
From Latin mōly, from Ancient Greek μῶλυ (môlu) (probably a loanword). 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 "moly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Merc#36,663Oder#36,694KPMG#36,633Kala#36,628

Similar misspelling depth

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

Rudi5 variantssala5 variantsHaji5 variantsGaya5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list