month

/mʌnθ/

//mʌnθ// noun

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

"month" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“month” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #562 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#562
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A period into which a year is divided, historically based on the phases of the moon.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

month vs mot
60% similar
month vs most
60% similar
month vs myth
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for month
PropertyValue
Headwordmonth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mʌnθ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#562
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “month” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). month lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for month is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mʌnθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #562 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for month, with forms such as "mmonth", "mnoth", and "monht". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mot", "most", "myth", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥sder. Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ Old English mōnaþ Middle English mon(e)th English month From Middle English mon(e)th, from Old English mōnaþ, from Proto-West Germa… The correct English form is month, spelled M-O-N-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A period into which a year is divided, historically based on the phases of the moon.
  2. 2
    A period of 30 days, 31 days, or some alternation thereof.
  3. 3
    A woman's period; menstrual discharge.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥sder. Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ Old English mōnaþ Middle English mon(e)th English month From Middle English mon(e)th, from Old English mōnaþ, from Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ, from Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs (“month”), from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s (“moon, month”), probably derived from *meh₁- (“measure”) with moon-cycles being used to measure time. Related to moon.

Synonyms

month

This word in other languages

mes(Español)mois(Français)Monat(Deutsch)mês(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmonth,mnoth,monht,monnth,monthh,montth,motnh,omnth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmonth1mnoth2monht2monnth1monthh1montth1motnh2omnth2
Edit distance from "month"

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 "month"?
"month" is spelled M-O-N-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /mʌnθ/.
What does "month" mean?
As a noun, "month" means: A period into which a year is divided, historically based on the phases of the moon.
What words are commonly confused with "month"?
"month" is commonly confused with "mot", "most", "myth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "month"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "month" is /mʌnθ/. 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 "month"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥sder. Proto-Germanic *mēnōþs Proto-West Germanic *mānōþ Old English mōnaþ Middle English mon(e)th English month From Middle English mon(e)th, from Old English mōnaþ, from Proto-... 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.

Using “month”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-N-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mʌnθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mot” - see the side-by-side comparison. month vs mot
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list