monstrous

/ˈmɑnstɹəs/

//ˈmɑnstɹəs// adj

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

"monstrous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“monstrous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,975. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,975
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Hideous or frightful.

Corpus desk

Index EN-monstrous · monstrous · English

monstrous · rank #16,975 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,975
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH momma

Nearest frequency peer: momma (-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 “monstrous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “monstrous” 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 monstrous
PropertyValue
Headwordmonstrous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɑnstɹəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,975
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “monstrous”

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).monstrouslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “momma” (#16,974), “Moran” (#16,976), “moderator” (#16,973). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “monstrous” is #16,975. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around monstrous (IPA /ˈmɑnstɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,975 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for monstrous, with forms such as "mmonstrous", "mnostrous", and "monnstrous". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous. By surface analysis, monster + -ous. The correct English form is monstrous, spelled M-O-N-S-T-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Hideous or frightful.
  2. 2
    Enormously large.
  3. 3
    Freakish or grotesque.
  4. 4
    Of, or relating to a mythical monster; full of monsters.
  5. 5
    Marvellous; exceedingly strange; fantastical.
  6. 6
    Disabled; crippled. (A severe slur used to describe persons with disabilities.)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. So bad a death argues a monstrous life.
  2. a monstrous height

Etymology

From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous. By surface analysis, monster + -ous.

Synonyms

monstrous

This word in other languages

monstruoso(Español)monstrueux(Français)ungeheuerlich(Deutsch)monstruoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmonstrous
  • mnostrous
  • monnstrous
  • monsrtous
  • monsstrous
  • monstorus
  • monstrosu
  • monstrouss
  • monstrrous
  • monstruos
  • monsttrous
  • montsrous
  • mosntrous
  • omnstrous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmonstrous1mnostrous2monnstrous1monsrtous2monsstrous1monstorus2monstrosu2monstrouss1
Edit distance from "monstrous"

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 "monstrous"?
"monstrous" is spelled M-O-N-S-T-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑnstɹəs/.
What does "monstrous" mean?
As an adjective, "monstrous" means: Hideous or frightful.
What are common misspellings of "monstrous"?
Common misspellings include "mmonstrous", "mnostrous", "monnstrous", "monsrtous", "monsstrous". The correct spelling is "monstrous".
How do you pronounce "monstrous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "monstrous" is /ˈmɑnstɹəs/. 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 "monstrous"?
From Middle English monstrous, from Old French monstrueuse, monstrüos, from Latin mōnstrōsus. Compare monstruous. By surface analysis, monster + -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 "monstrous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

moderator#16,973madeleine#16,962prevailed#17,001proactive#17,002

Similar misspelling depth

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

persuasive14 variantsprojector14 variantsindefinite14 variantsreputable14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list