moose

/muːs/

//muːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“moose” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,809. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,809
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moose · moose · English

moose · rank #12,809 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,809
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH moonlight

Nearest frequency peer: moonlight (-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 “moose”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “moose” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

moose vs MoS
20% similar
moose vs more
60% similar
moose vs most
60% similar

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

Key facts for moose
PropertyValue
Headwordmoose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/muːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,809
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “moose”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “moonlight” (#12,808), “mosquito” (#12,810), “misunderstood” (#12,807). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moose” is #12,809. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around moose (IPA /muːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,809 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for moose, with forms such as "mmoose", "mooes", and "moosse". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MoS", "more", "most", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Earlier mus, moos, from an Eastern Algonquian language name for the animal, such as Massachusett moos, mws, Narragansett moos or Penobscot mos (cognate to Abenaki moz), from Proto-Algonquian *mo·swa (“it strips”), referring to how a moose strips tree bark w… The correct English form is moose, spelled M-O-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.
  2. 2
    Any of the extinct moose-like deer of the genera Cervalces and Libralces.
  3. 3
    An ugly person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We saw a moose at the edge of the woods.
  2. Europe’s giant beavers lived at the same time as the first moose, Libralces gallicus.

Etymology

Earlier mus, moos, from an Eastern Algonquian language name for the animal, such as Massachusett moos, mws, Narragansett moos or Penobscot mos (cognate to Abenaki moz), from Proto-Algonquian *mo·swa (“it strips”), referring to how a moose strips tree bark when feeding: compare Massachusett moos-u (“he strips, cuts smooth”).

Synonyms

elkNewfoundland speed bump

This word in other languages

alce(Español)orignal(Français)Elch(Deutsch)alce(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmoose
  • mooes
  • moosse
  • mose
  • mosoe
  • omose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmoose1mooes2moosse1mose1mosoe2omose2
Edit distance from "moose"

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 "moose"?
"moose" is spelled M-O-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /muːs/.
What does "moose" mean?
As a noun, "moose" means: The largest member of the deer family (Alces americanus, sometimes included in Alces alces), of which the male has very large, palmate antlers.
What words are commonly confused with "moose"?
"moose" is commonly confused with "MoS", "more", "most". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "moose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moose" is /muːs/. 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 "moose"?
Earlier mus, moos, from an Eastern Algonquian language name for the animal, such as Massachusett moos, mws, Narragansett moos or Penobscot mos (cognate to Abenaki moz), from Proto-Algonquian *mo·swa (“it strips”), referring to how a moose strips t... 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 "moose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

motel#12,811linen#12,805Omaha#12,820fares#12,774

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

reps6 variantsRosie6 variantssock6 variantsdarn6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list