mortality

/mɔɹˈtælɪti/

//mɔɹˈtælɪti// noun

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

"mortality" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mortality” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,321. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,321
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being mortal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mortality · mortality · English

mortality · rank #8,321 · 14 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,321
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH monument

Nearest frequency peer: monument (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mortality”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mortality” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mortality vs mortally
78% similar
mortality vs motility
78% similar
mortality vs morality
89% similar

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

Key facts for mortality
PropertyValue
Headwordmortality
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɔɹˈtælɪti/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,321
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mortality”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mortalitylands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “monument” (#8,320), “Ng” (#8,322), “moisture” (#8,319). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mortality” is #8,321. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around mortality (IPA /mɔɹˈtælɪti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,321 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for mortality, with forms such as "mmortality", "moratlity", and "morrtality". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "mortally", "motility", "morality", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity. The correct English form is mortality, spelled M-O-R-T-A-L-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being mortal.
  2. 2
    The state or quality of being mortal.
  3. 3
    The state or quality of being mortal.
  4. 4
    The number of deaths; and, usually and especially, the number of deaths per time unit (usually per year), expressed as a rate.
  5. 5
    The number of deaths; and, usually and especially, the number of deaths per time unit (usually per year), expressed as a rate.
  6. 6
    Death.
  7. 7
    Mortals collectively.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [H]er minde remembreth her mortalitie, / vvhat ſo is fayreſt ſhall to earth returne.
  2. Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, / But sad mortality o’er-sways their power, / How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, / Whose action is no stronger than a flower?

Etymology

From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity.

This word in other languages

mortalidad(Español)mortalité(Français)Sterblichkeit(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmortality
  • moratlity
  • morrtality
  • mortailty
  • mortalitty
  • mortalityy
  • mortaliyt
  • mortallity
  • mortaltiy
  • mortlaity
  • morttality
  • motrality
  • mrotality
  • omrtality

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mortality - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmortality1moratlity2morrtality1mortailty2mortalitty1mortalityy1mortaliyt2mortallity1
Edit distance from "mortality"

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 "mortality"?
"mortality" is spelled M-O-R-T-A-L-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /mɔɹˈtælɪti/.
What does "mortality" mean?
As a noun, "mortality" means: The state or quality of being mortal.
What words are commonly confused with "mortality"?
"mortality" is commonly confused with "mortally", "motility", "morality". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mortality"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mortality" is /mɔɹˈtælɪti/. 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 "mortality"?
From Old French mortalite, from Latin mortālitās, from mortālis (“relating to death”), from mors (“death”); equivalent to mortal + -ity. 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 "mortality", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

obsession#8,324petroleum#8,331rejection#8,339reservoir#8,341

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

sensation14 variantscombining14 variantsChampagne14 variantsbiography14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list