momentary

/ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/

//ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi// adj

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

"momentary" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“momentary” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,170. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,170
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Lasting for only a moment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-momentary · momentary · English

momentary · rank #26,170 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,170
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mite

Nearest frequency peer: mite (-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 “momentary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “momentary” 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).

momentary vs monetary
78% similar
momentary vs momentarily
82% similar

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

Key facts for momentary
PropertyValue
Headwordmomentary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/
Letters9
Frequency rank#26,170
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “momentary”

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).momentarylands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “mite” (#26,169), “Montague” (#26,171), “moratorium” (#26,172). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “momentary” is #26,170. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around momentary (IPA /ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #26,170 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for momentary, with forms such as "mmoentary", "mmomentary", and "moemntary". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "monetary", "momentarily", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary. The correct English form is momentary, spelled M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Lasting for only a moment.
  2. 2
    Happening at every moment; perpetual.
  3. 3
    Ephemeral or relatively short-lived.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Yet oh! what an immense difference did I feel between this impression of a pleasure merely animal, and struck out of the collision of the sexes by a passive bodily effect, from that sweet fury, that rage of active delight which crowns the enjoyments of a mutual love-passion, where two hearts, tenderly and truly united, club to exalt the joy, and give it a…
  2. Tony's face expressed relief, and Nettie sat silent for a moment until the vicar said “It was a generous impulse, but it may have been a momentary one,[…].”

Etymology

From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary.

This word in other languages

momentáneo(Español)momentané(Français)vorübergehend(Deutsch)momentâneo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmoentary
  • mmomentary
  • moemntary
  • momenatry
  • momenntary
  • momentarry
  • momentaryy
  • momentayr
  • momentray
  • momenttary
  • mometnary
  • mommentary
  • momnetary
  • ommentary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmoentary2mmomentary1moemntary2momenatry2momenntary1momentarry1momentaryy1momentayr2
Edit distance from "momentary"

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 "momentary"?
"momentary" is spelled M-O-M-E-N-T-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/.
What does "momentary" mean?
As an adjective, "momentary" means: Lasting for only a moment.
What words are commonly confused with "momentary"?
"momentary" is commonly confused with "monetary", "momentarily". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "momentary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "momentary" is /ˈmoʊmənˌtɛɹi/. 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 "momentary"?
From Middle English momentare, from Late Latin mōmentārius (“of brief duration”), from mōmentum (“a short time, an instant”). By surface analysis, moment + -ary. 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 "momentary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Marquette#26,156Kimberley#26,140pondering#26,203ingrained#26,127

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

moratorium14 variantsMacedonian14 variantsRosenthal14 variantsGorbachev14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list