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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,944 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,944
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A male member of a monastic order who has devoted his life for religious service.

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)

Where “monk” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). monk lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for monk is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mʌŋk/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,944 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “monk”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mʌŋk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “MoS” - see the side-by-side comparison. monk vs MoS
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list