moral

/ˈmɒɹəl/

//ˈmɒɹəl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“moral” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,246. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,246
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moral · moral · English

moral · rank #3,246 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,246
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH men's

Nearest frequency peer: men's (-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 “moral”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “moral” 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).

moral vs more
60% similar
moral vs Mori
40% similar
moral vs mort
60% similar

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

Key facts for moral
PropertyValue
Headwordmoral
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɒɹəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,246
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “moral”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).morallands 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 “men's” (#3,245), “offensive” (#3,247), “machines” (#3,244). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moral” is #3,246. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around moral (IPA /ˈmɒɹəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,246 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for moral, with forms such as "mmoral", "moarl", and "morall". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "more", "Mori", "mort", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English moral, from Old French moral, from Latin mōrālis (“relating to manners or morals”) (first used by Cicero, to translate Ancient Greek ἠθικός (ēthikós, “moral”)), from mos (“manner, custom”). The correct English form is moral, spelled M-O-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.
  2. 2
    Conforming to a standard of right behaviour; sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment.
  3. 3
    Capable of right and wrong action.
  4. 4
    Probable but not proved.
  5. 5
    Positively affecting the mind, confidence, or will.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. moral judgments; a moral poem
  2. a moral obligation

Etymology

From Middle English moral, from Old French moral, from Latin mōrālis (“relating to manners or morals”) (first used by Cicero, to translate Ancient Greek ἠθικός (ēthikós, “moral”)), from mos (“manner, custom”).

Synonyms

incorruptiblenoblerighteousvirtuousvirtual

Antonyms

immoralunethicalcorruptunscrupulousamoralnon-moralpseudomoralunmoral

This word in other languages

moral(Español)moral(Français)moralisch(Deutsch)moral(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmoral
  • moarl
  • morall
  • morla
  • morral
  • mroal
  • omral

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of moral - 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.

mmoral1moarl2morall1morla2morral1mroal2omral2
Edit distance from "moral"

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 "moral"?
"moral" is spelled M-O-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒɹəl/.
What does "moral" mean?
As an adjective, "moral" means: Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially for teaching right behaviour.
What words are commonly confused with "moral"?
"moral" is commonly confused with "more", "Mori", "mort". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "moral"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moral" is /ˈmɒɹəl/. 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 "moral"?
From Middle English moral, from Old French moral, from Latin mōrālis (“relating to manners or morals”) (first used by Cicero, to translate Ancient Greek ἠθικός (ēthikós, “moral”)), from mos (“manner, custom”). 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 "moral", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

men's#3,245loose#3,243Jason#3,241hills#3,236

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

bound7 variantsbonus7 variantsawful7 variantsaccused7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list