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” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #17,422) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#17,422
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mop · mop · English

mop · rank #17,422 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,422
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH monsieur

Nearest frequency peer: monsieur (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “mop”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “mop” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

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)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “mop”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).moplands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “monsieur” (#17,421), “multicultural” (#17,423), “Nearing” (#17,424). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mop” is #17,422. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for mop is neighbouring look-alikes ("my", "Mr", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /mɒp/. Frequency #17,422 among 4,057 “M” headwords. 10 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He gave the floor a quick mop to soak up the spilt juice.
  2. He ran a comb through his mop and hurried out the door.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mei#17,413Liv#17,402Roi#17,465fab#17,363

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list