mop

/mɒp/

//mɒp// noun

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

"mop" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mop” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,422 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,422
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An implement for washing floors or similar, made of a piece of cloth, or a collection of thrums, or coarse yarn, fastened to a handle.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mop vs my
33% similar
mop vs Mr
0% similar
mop vs MS
0% similar

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

Key facts for mop
PropertyValue
Headwordmop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɒp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#17,422
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mop” 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). mop 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 mop is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,422 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Zero misspellings are on record for mop in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "my", "Mr", "MS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mappe (also as mappel), perhaps borrowed from Walloon mappe (“napkin”), from Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”). Believed to be from a Semitic source, variously claimed as Phoenician or Punic (the latter by Quintilian). Compare Modern Hebrew … The correct English form is mop, spelled M-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    An implement for washing floors or similar, made of a piece of cloth, or a collection of thrums, or coarse yarn, fastened to a handle.
  2. 2
    A wash with a mop; the act of mopping.
  3. 3
    A dense head of hair.
  4. 4
    An annual fair where servants were historically hired.
  5. 5
    A tassel worn in a buttonhole to indicate ones occupation in such a fair.
  6. 6
    A firearm particularly if it has a large magazine (compare broom, but still can be related to MP)
  7. 7
    Fellatio.
  8. 8
    A squeezable high-flow paint marker with an extra-wide felt or foam tip.
  9. 9
    A row of ropes dragged along the seabed for catching starfish.
  10. 10
    A drunkard.

Etymology

From Middle English mappe (also as mappel), perhaps borrowed from Walloon mappe (“napkin”), from Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”). Believed to be from a Semitic source, variously claimed as Phoenician or Punic (the latter by Quintilian). Compare Modern Hebrew מַפָּה (mapá, “a map; a cloth”) (shortened from מַנְפָּה (manpah, “fluttering banner, streaming cloth”)). Doublet of map, nape, and nappe.

This word in other languages

chascona(Español)serpillière(Français)Mopp(Deutsch)esfregão(Português)

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 "mop"?
"mop" is spelled M-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /mɒp/.
What does "mop" mean?
As a noun, "mop" means: An implement for washing floors or similar, made of a piece of cloth, or a collection of thrums, or coarse yarn, fastened to a handle.
What words are commonly confused with "mop"?
"mop" is commonly confused with "my", "Mr", "MS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mop" is /mɒp/. 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 "mop"?
From Middle English mappe (also as mappel), perhaps borrowed from Walloon mappe (“napkin”), from Latin mappa (“napkin, cloth”). Believed to be from a Semitic source, variously claimed as Phoenician or Punic (the latter by Quintilian). Compare Mode... 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 “mop”

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

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