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” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,831. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,831
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Susceptible to death by aging, sickness, injury, or wound; not immortal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mortal · mortal · English

mortal · rank #8,831 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,831
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH morality

Nearest frequency peer: morality (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mortal”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mortal” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 2, 2026

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around mortal (IPA /ˈmɔː.təl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,831 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Blyndfold he was; and in his cruell fist A mortall bow and arrowes keene did hold […]
  2. into the plain Disgorged at length, the dead and the alive, In one dread mass, were parted, and the stain Of blood from mortal steel fell o’er the fields like rain.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mortal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mickey#8,823Panama#8,839Manuel#8,821pickup#8,841

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

lively9 variantsreferee9 variantslethal9 variantssmiled9 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "mortal". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mortal" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "motel". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #8,831 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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