monotonous

/məˈnɒtənəs/

//məˈnɒtənəs// adj

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

"monotonous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“monotonous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,887. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,887
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having an unvarying pitch or tone.

Corpus desk

Index EN-monotonous · monotonous · English

monotonous · rank #30,887 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,887
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mongering

Nearest frequency peer: mongering (-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 “monotonous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “monotonous” 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
Key facts for monotonous
PropertyValue
Headwordmonotonous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/məˈnɒtənəs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#30,887
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “monotonous”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).monotonouslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mongering” (#30,886), “morbidity” (#30,888), “minster” (#30,885). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “monotonous” is #30,887. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around monotonous (IPA /məˈnɒtənəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,887 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for monotonous, with forms such as "mmonotonous", "mnootonous", and "monnotonous". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From monotone + -ous. The correct English form is monotonous, spelled M-O-N-O-T-O-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having an unvarying pitch or tone.
  2. 2
    Tedious, repetitious, or lacking in variety.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "But my daughter—but the Lady Eveline"—said the Fleming, with some slight change in his monotonous voice, which seemed to express doubt and perplexity—"You are cruel conquerors, and—"
  2. [L]istening for a moment, she heard the monotonous and heavy tread of the soldier echoing through the passage.

Etymology

From monotone + -ous.

This word in other languages

monótono(Español)monoton(Deutsch)monótono(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmonotonous
  • mnootonous
  • monnotonous
  • monootnous
  • monotnoous
  • monotonnous
  • monotonosu
  • monotonouss
  • monotonuos
  • monotoonus
  • monottonous
  • montoonous
  • moontonous
  • omnotonous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmonotonous1mnootonous2monnotonous1monootnous2monotnoous2monotonnous1monotonosu2monotonouss1
Edit distance from "monotonous"

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 "monotonous"?
"monotonous" is spelled M-O-N-O-T-O-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈnɒtənəs/.
What does "monotonous" mean?
As an adjective, "monotonous" means: Having an unvarying pitch or tone.
What are common misspellings of "monotonous"?
Common misspellings include "mmonotonous", "mnootonous", "monnotonous", "monootnous", "monotnoous". The correct spelling is "monotonous".
How do you pronounce "monotonous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "monotonous" is /məˈnɒtənəs/. 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 "monotonous"?
From monotone + -ous. 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 "monotonous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Motherwell#30,889MacFarlane#30,874lightsaber#30,864Pocahontas#30,919

Similar misspelling depth

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

morbidity14 variantsmongering14 variantsincursion14 variantsHindustan14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list