mortal

/ˈmɔː.təl/

//ˈmɔː.təl// adj

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

"mortal" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mortal” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,831 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,831
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mortal vs motel
67% similar
mortal vs mural
67% similar
mortal vs Morty
50% similar

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

Key facts for mortal
PropertyValue
Headwordmortal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɔː.təl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,831
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mortal” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for mortal is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɔː.təl/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,831 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for mortal, with forms such as "mmortal", "moratl", and "morrtal". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "motel", "mural", "Morty", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ. The correct English form is mortal, spelled M-O-R-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.
  2. 2
    Causing death; deadly, fatal, killing, lethal (now only of wounds, injuries etc.).
  3. 3
    Punishable by death.
  4. 4
    Fatally vulnerable.
  5. 5
    Of or relating to the time of death.
  6. 6
    Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly; related to a life-and-death struggle.
  7. 7
    Human; belonging or pertaining to people who are mortal.
  8. 8
    Very painful or tedious; wearisome.
  9. 9
    Very drunk.
  10. 10
    Causing spiritual death (the destruction of charity in the soul) and thus, a disruption of one's relationship with God.

Etymology

From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ.

Synonyms

fatallethalbaneful

Antonyms

immortaleverlastingnatalvitalvitalvenial

This word in other languages

mortal(Español)mortel(Français)sterblich(Deutsch)mortal(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmortal,moratl,morrtal,mortall,mortla,morttal,motral,mrotal,omrtal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mortal - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

mmortal1moratl2morrtal1mortall1mortla2morttal1motral2mrotal2
Edit distance from "mortal"

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 "mortal"?
"mortal" is spelled M-O-R-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɔː.təl/.
What does "mortal" mean?
As an adjective, "mortal" means: Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.
What words are commonly confused with "mortal"?
"mortal" is commonly confused with "motel", "mural", "Morty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mortal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mortal" is /ˈmɔː.təl/. 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 "mortal"?
From Middle English mortal, mortel, from Old French mortal, and their source Latin mortālis, from mors (“death”). In this sense, displaced native deadly, from Old English dēadlīċ. 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.

Using “mortal”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-R-T-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmɔː.təl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “motel” - see the side-by-side comparison. mortal vs motel
  • 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