mordant

/ˈmɔːdn̩t/

//ˈmɔːdn̩t// adj

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

"mordant" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mordant” is uncommon English (frequency #70,922 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,922
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having or showing a sharp or critical quality.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mordant · mordant · English

mordant · rank #70,922 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,922
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mope

Nearest frequency peer: mope (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “mordant”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mordant” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mordant
PropertyValue
Headwordmordant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɔːdn̩t/
Letters7
Frequency rank#70,922
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mordant” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “mope” (#70,921), “Montparnasse” (#70,920), “monstrously” (#70,919). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mordant” is #70,922. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mordant is uncommon English at frequency #70,922 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmɔːdn̩t/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for mordant, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French mordant, from Latin mordeō. Doublet of mordent. The correct English form is mordant, spelled M-O-R-D-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having or showing a sharp or critical quality.
  2. 2
    Serving to fix a dye to a fiber.

Etymology

From French mordant, from Latin mordeō. Doublet of mordent.

This word in other languages

mordaz(Español)mordant(Français)beißend(Deutsch)

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 "mordant"?
"mordant" is spelled M-O-R-D-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɔːdn̩t/.
What does "mordant" mean?
As an adjective, "mordant" means: Having or showing a sharp or critical quality.
How do you pronounce "mordant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mordant" is /ˈmɔːdn̩t/. 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 "mordant"?
From French mordant, from Latin mordeō. Doublet of mordent. 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 "mordant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

moisten#70,917mourner#70,928Murrell#70,936Muscovy#70,940

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list