English Word Reference Free

monster

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "monster", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "monster" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "monster" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

monster is aEnglishnoun. It means: A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind. Pronounced /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/. It ranks #3,074 in English word frequency. Often confused with monte and moser.

Key facts for monster
PropertyValue
Headwordmonster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,074
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of monster in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for monster is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,074 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 11 documented wrong-spelling variants for monster, with forms such as "mmonster", "mnoster", and "monnster". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "monte", "moser", "muster", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is monster, spelled M-O-N-S-T-E-R, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind.
  2. 2
    A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind.
  3. 3
    A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind.
  4. 4
    A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind.
  5. 5
    A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
  6. 6
    A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
  7. 7
    A creature of unnatural or highly unusual shape or form (which makes a frightening or unpleasant impression).
  8. 8
    A bizarre or whimsical creature.
  9. 9
    A non-player character that player(s) fight against in role-playing games; a mob

Etymology

From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmonster,mnoster,monnster,monsetr,monsster,monsterr,monstre,monstter,montser,mosnter,omnster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for monster

Misspelling Variants of "monster"

mmonster8mnoster7monnster8monsetr7monsster8monsterr8monstre7monstter8
Misspelling Variants of "monster"

Frequency rank: #3,074 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "monster"?
"monster" is spelled M-O-N-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/.
What does "monster" mean?
As a noun, "monster" means: A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or mythical kind.
What words are commonly confused with "monster"?
"monster" is commonly confused with "monte", "moser", "muster". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "monster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "monster" is /ˈmɒnstə(ɹ)/. 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 "monster"?
From Middle English monstre, from Old French monstre, mostre, moustre, from Latin mōnstrum. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter M in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.