monk

/mʌŋk/

//mʌŋk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“monk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,944. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,944
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.

Corpus desk

Index EN-monk · monk · English

monk · rank #7,944 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,944
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH minerals

Nearest frequency peer: minerals (-2 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 “monk”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “monk” 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).

monk vs MoS
25% similar
monk vs mop
50% similar
monk vs MOR
0% similar

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

Key facts for monk
PropertyValue
Headwordmonk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mʌŋk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,944
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “monk”

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).monklands 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 “minerals” (#7,942), “ni” (#7,946), “merchandise” (#7,941). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “monk” is #7,944. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around monk (IPA /mʌŋk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,944 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for monk, with forms such as "mmonk", "mnok", and "mokn". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MoS", "mop", "MOR", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English monk, from Old English munuc, from Proto-West Germanic *munik, from Late Latin monicus, variant of monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”). The correct English form is monk, spelled M-O-N-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.
  2. 2
    In earlier usage, an eremite or hermit devoted to solitude, as opposed to a cenobite, who lived communally.
  3. 3
    Someone who leads an isolated life; a loner, a hermit.
  4. 4
    An unmarried man who does not have sexual relationships.
  5. 5
    A judge.
  6. 6
    An inkblot.
  7. 7
    A South American monkey (Pithecia monachus); also applied to other species, as Cebus xanthosternos.
  8. 8
    The bullfinch, common bullfinch, European bullfinch, or Eurasian bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula).
  9. 9
    The monkfish.
  10. 10
    A fuse for firing mines.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This is believed to be the completeſt liſt of this voluminous, proſaick, and driveling monk, that can be formed, without acceſs, at leaſt, to every manuſcript library in the kingdom, which would be very difficult, if not imposſible, to obtain.
  2. In clusters on the plain, like cowlless monks at matins, sat the vultures that had settled on the corpse of the hyena impaled by the female rhino […]

Etymology

From Middle English monk, from Old English munuc, from Proto-West Germanic *munik, from Late Latin monicus, variant of monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”).

This word in other languages

monje(Español)moine(Français)Mönch(Deutsch)monge(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmonk
  • mnok
  • mokn
  • monkk
  • monnk
  • omnk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of monk - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmonk1mnok2mokn2monkk1monnk1omnk2
Edit distance from "monk"

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 "monk"?
"monk" is spelled M-O-N-K. The IPA pronunciation is /mʌŋk/.
What does "monk" mean?
As a noun, "monk" means: A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.
What words are commonly confused with "monk"?
"monk" is commonly confused with "MoS", "mop", "MOR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "monk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "monk" is /mʌŋk/. 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 "monk"?
From Middle English monk, from Old English munuc, from Proto-West Germanic *munik, from Late Latin monicus, variant of monachus, from Ancient Greek μοναχός (monakhós, “single, solitary”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”). 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 "monk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Noah#7,947norm#7,948Liam#7,938halt#7,924

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Isaac6 variantsESPN6 variantsSatan6 variantsSeoul6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list