monotonous
/məˈnɒtənəs/
"monotonous" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“monotonous” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,887 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #30,887
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 14
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having an unvarying pitch or tone.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | monotonous |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /məˈnɒtənəs/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #30,887 |
| Misspellings tracked | 14 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “monotonous” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for monotonous is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məˈnɒtənəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,887 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Having an unvarying pitch or tone.
- 2Tedious, repetitious, or lacking in variety.
Etymology
From monotone + -ous.
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "monotonous" mean?
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Using “monotonous”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-O-T-O-N-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /məˈnɒtənəs/ (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.