monolith
/ˈmɒn.ə.lɪθ/
"monolith" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“monolith” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,678 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #36,678
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large, single block of stone which is a natural feature; or a block of stone or other similar material used in architecture and sculpture, especially one carved into a monument in ancient times.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | monolith |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmɒn.ə.lɪθ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #36,678 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “monolith” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for monolith is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɒn.ə.lɪθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,678 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for monolith, with forms such as "mmonolith", "mnoolith", and "monloith". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "monolithic", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is borrowed from French monolithe (“object made from a single block of stone”), from Middle French monolythe (“made from a single block of stone”) (rare), and from their etymon Latin monolithus (“made from a single block of stone”), from Ancient Gr… The correct English form is monolith, spelled M-O-N-O-L-I-T-H.
Definition
- 1A large, single block of stone which is a natural feature; or a block of stone or other similar material used in architecture and sculpture, especially one carved into a monument in ancient times.
- 2Anything massive, uniform, and unmovable, especially a towering and impersonal cultural, political, or social organization or structure.
- 3A substrate having many tiny channels that is cast as a single piece, which is used as a stationary phase for chromatography, as a catalytic surface, etc.
- 4A dead tree whose height and size have been reduced by breaking off or cutting its branches.
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from French monolithe (“object made from a single block of stone”), from Middle French monolythe (“made from a single block of stone”) (rare), and from their etymon Latin monolithus (“made from a single block of stone”), from Ancient Greek μονόλιθος (monólithos, “made from a single block of stone”), from μονο- (mono-, prefix meaning ‘alone; single’) (from μόνος (mónos, “alone; only, unique”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *mey- (“little, small”)) + λίθος (líthos, “a stone; stone as a substance”); analysable as mono- + -lith. The English word is cognate with German monolith (“made from a single block of stone”). The verb is derived from the noun.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mmonolith,mnoolith,monloith,monnolith,monoilth,monoliht,monolithh,monolitth,monollith,monoltih,moonlith,omnolith
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of monolith - 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.
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
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Using “monolith”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-O-L-I-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmɒn.ə.lɪθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “monolithic” - see the side-by-side comparison. monolith vs monolithic
- 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.