mortar

/ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/

//ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mortar” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,406 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,406
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mortar vs motor
67% similar
mortar vs Morty
50% similar
mortar vs Morton
50% similar

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

Key facts for mortar
PropertyValue
Headwordmortar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,406
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mortar” 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). mortar 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 mortar is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,406 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 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 mortar, with forms such as "mmortar", "moratr", and "morrtar". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "motor", "Morty", "Morton", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium. The correct English form is mortar, spelled M-O-R-T-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.
  2. 2
    A hollow vessel used to pound, crush, rub, grind or mix ingredients with a pestle.
  3. 3
    A short, heavy, large-bore cannon designed for indirect fire at very steep trajectories.
  4. 4
    A relatively lightweight, often portable indirect fire weapon which transmits recoil to a base plate and is designed to lob explosive shells at very steep trajectories.
  5. 5
    In paper milling, a trough in which material is hammered.

Etymology

From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium.

This word in other languages

mortero(Español)mortier(Français)Mörtel(Deutsch)argamassa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmortar,moratr,morrtar,mortarr,mortra,morttar,motrar,mrotar,omrtar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmortar1moratr2morrtar1mortarr1mortra2morttar1motrar2mrotar2
Edit distance from "mortar"

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 "mortar"?
"mortar" is spelled M-O-R-T-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/.
What does "mortar" mean?
As a noun, "mortar" means: A mixture of lime or cement, sand and water used for bonding building blocks.
What words are commonly confused with "mortar"?
"mortar" is commonly confused with "motor", "Morty", "Morton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mortar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mortar" is /ˈmɔːtə(ɹ)/. 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 "mortar"?
From Middle English morter, from Old French mortier, from Latin mortārium. Doublet of mortarium. 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 “mortar”

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

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