moonshine
/ˈmuːnʃaɪn/
"moonshine" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“moonshine” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #31,661 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #31,661
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The light of the moon.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | moonshine |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmuːnʃaɪn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #31,661 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “moonshine” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for moonshine is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmuːnʃaɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #31,661 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for moonshine, with forms such as "mmoonshine", "monoshine", and "monshine". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "moonstone", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mone schyne, mone-schyne, moone shone; equivalent to moon + shine. Illegally distilled liquor is so named because its manufacture may be conducted without artificial light at night. The verb sense is a back-formation from moonshiner. The correct English form is moonshine, spelled M-O-O-N-S-H-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1The light of the moon.
- 2High-proof alcohol (especially whiskey) that is often, but not always, produced illegally.
- 3Smuggled spirits, often with a specific sense; (Kent, Sussex) white brandy; (Yorkshire) gin.
- 4Nonsense.
- 5A branch of pure mathematics relating the Monster group to an invariant of elliptic functions.
- 6A spiced dish of eggs and fried onions.
- 7A month.
Etymology
From Middle English mone schyne, mone-schyne, moone shone; equivalent to moon + shine. Illegally distilled liquor is so named because its manufacture may be conducted without artificial light at night. The verb sense is a back-formation from moonshiner.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: mmoonshine,monoshine,monshine,moonhsine,moonnshine,moonshhine,moonshien,moonshinne,moonshnie,moonsihne,moonsshine,moosnhine,omonshine
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of moonshine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "moonshine"?
What does "moonshine" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "moonshine"?
How do you pronounce "moonshine"?
What is the origin of the word "moonshine"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “moonshine”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-O-O-N-S-H-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmuːnʃaɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “moonstone” - see the side-by-side comparison. moonshine vs moonstone
- 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.