mortiferous

/mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/

//mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs// adj

"mortiferous" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mortiferous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Causing spiritual death.

Key facts for mortiferous
PropertyValue
Headwordmortiferous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mortiferous” sits in English frequency

mortiferous falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mortiferous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for mortiferous, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin mortifer + -ous. The correct English form is mortiferous, spelled M-O-R-T-I-F-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing spiritual death.
  2. 2
    Causing physical death; deadly, fatal, lethal.

Etymology

From Latin mortifer + -ous.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mortiferous"?
"mortiferous" is spelled M-O-R-T-I-F-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/.
What does "mortiferous" mean?
As an adjective, "mortiferous" means: Causing spiritual death.
How do you pronounce "mortiferous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mortiferous" is /mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/. 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 "mortiferous"?
From Latin mortifer + -ous. 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 “mortiferous”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-R-T-I-F-E-R-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɔːˈtɪfəɹəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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