Skip to main content
PlainSpell

moron

UK /ˈmɔːɹɒn/noun

moron is spelled M-O-R-O-N: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a derogatory noun, moron means “A stupid person; an idiot; a fool” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of moron is morons.

How many letters and syllables are in moron?

Letters5: M-O-R-O-N
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing5.6 times per million words; the 10,358th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is moron?

Moron appears 5.6 times per million words in written English, the 10,358th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce moron?

  • UK /ˈmɔːɹɒn/
  • /mo(ː)ɹɒn/
  • /-ɑn/

Moron has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-moron.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of moron

  • morons plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does moron mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    derogatoryinformalA stupid person; an idiot; a fool.

  2. 2

    datedA person of mild mental subnormality in the former classification of mental retardation, having an intelligence quotient of 50–70.

  3. 3

    A hypothetical particle whose existence and configuration can make a moral judgment true.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Moron in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchattardé, crétin, demeuré (psychology, dated: person of mild mental…), andouille, débile, mongol (person who makes uncool attempts to impress…)
GermanSchwachsinniger, Schwachkopf (psychology, dated: person of mild mental…), Trottel, Depp (person who makes uncool attempts to impress…)
Portugueseretardado, débil mental (psychology, dated: person of mild mental…), babaca, otário (person who makes uncool attempts to impress…)
Spanishretrasado, retrasada, morón (Panamá) (psychology, dated: person of mild mental…), subnormal, retardado (person who makes uncool attempts to impress…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does moron come from?

Coined by American psychologist Henry H. Goddard in 1910, from Ancient Greek μωρόν (mōrón), the neuter form of μωρός (mōrós, “foolish, dull”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after moron