# month

> English word · Noun · IPA /mʌnθ/ · frequency rank #562

## Definitions
1. A period into which a year is divided, historically based on the phases of the moon.
2. A period of 30 days, 31 days, or some alternation thereof.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **mot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mot)
- **most** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-most)
- **myth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-myth)
- **moth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-moth)
- **moto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-moto)
- **moot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-moot)
- **mort** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mort)
- **mott** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mott)
- **mosh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mosh)
- **mote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mote)
- **mouth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mouth)
- **mount** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mount)
- **motto** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-motto)
- **Monty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-monty)
- **moths** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-moths)
- **Morty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-morty)
- **munch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-munch)
- **morph** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-morph)
- **months** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-months)
- **mouths** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/month-vs-mouths)

## Common misspellings (8)
`mmonth`, `mnoth`, `monht`, `monnth`, `monthh`, `montth`, `motnh`, `omnth`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/month