mondegreen
/ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/
"mondegreen" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mondegreen” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A form of (possibly intentional) error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase, possibly in a different language.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mondegreen |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mondegreen” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
mondegreen is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mondegreen, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: Coined by American journalist and editor Sylvia Wright in 1954 in Harper's Magazine from mishearing a line in the Scottish ballad The Bonnie Earl o' Moray: “They have slain the Earl o' Moray, / And laid him on the green”, the second line being misheard as, … The correct English form is mondegreen, spelled M-O-N-D-E-G-R-E-E-N.
Definition
- 1A form of (possibly intentional) error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase, possibly in a different language.
- 2A misunderstanding of a written or spoken phrase as a result of multiple definitions.
Etymology
Coined by American journalist and editor Sylvia Wright in 1954 in Harper's Magazine from mishearing a line in the Scottish ballad The Bonnie Earl o' Moray: “They have slain the Earl o' Moray, / And laid him on the green”, the second line being misheard as, “And Lady Mondegreen”.
This word in other languages
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 "mondegreen"?
What does "mondegreen" mean?
How do you pronounce "mondegreen"?
What is the origin of the word "mondegreen"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “mondegreen”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-D-E-G-R-E-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɒndəɡɹiːn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.