more or less

/mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/

//mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs// adv

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

"more-or-less" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“more or less” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adverb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Approximately.

Key facts for more or less
PropertyValue
Headwordmore or less
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “more or less” sits in English frequency

more or less falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for more or less is 12 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for more or less in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is more or less, spelled M-O-R-E- -O-R- -L-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Approximately.
  2. 2
    Almost.
  3. 3
    To varying extents, across instances; to an extent that varies among cases.

This word in other languages

más o menos(Español)peu ou prou(Français)ungefähr(Deutsch)mais ou menos(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "more or less"?
"more or less" is spelled M-O-R-E- -O-R- -L-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/.
What does "more or less" mean?
As an adverb, "more or less" means: Approximately.
How do you pronounce "more or less"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "more or less" is /mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "more or less" come from?
"more or less" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “more or less”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-R-E- -O-R- -L-E-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɔɹ ɔɹ lɛs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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