mosaic

/məʊˈzeɪk/

//məʊˈzeɪk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mosaic” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,384
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A piece of artwork created by placing colored squares (usually tiles) in a pattern so as to create a picture.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mosaic · mosaic · English

mosaic · rank #13,384 · 8 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,384
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MK

Nearest frequency peer: MK (-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 “mosaic”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mosaic” 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).

mosaic vs music
67% similar
mosaic vs mystic
67% similar

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

Key facts for mosaic
PropertyValue
Headwordmosaic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məʊˈzeɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,384
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mosaic”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “MK” (#13,383), “mustang” (#13,385), “miner” (#13,382). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mosaic” is #13,384. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around mosaic (IPA /məʊˈzeɪk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,384 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mosaic, with forms such as "mmosaic", "moasic", and "mosaci". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "music", "mystic", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, from Late Latin musivum (opus), from Latin museum, musaeum, probably from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon), shrine of the Muses (Μοῦσα (Moûsa)). The correct English form is mosaic, spelled M-O-S-A-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    A piece of artwork created by placing colored squares (usually tiles) in a pattern so as to create a picture.
  2. 2
    Pixelization. (a method of censorship)
  3. 3
    An individual composed of two or more cell lines of different genetic or chromosomal constitution, but from the same zygote.
  4. 4
    Any of several viral diseases that cause mosaic-like patterns to appear on leaves.
  5. 5
    A composite picture made from overlapping photographs.
  6. 6
    Any composite structure made from diverse elements.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Using censorship's ability to enhance laughter, modern comedy uses a full array of censorship tools: strategically placed censors' black bars ... digitalized mosaic blurs or pixilations^([sic]) that obscure body parts, crude gestures, and the like ...

Etymology

From Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, from Late Latin musivum (opus), from Latin museum, musaeum, probably from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon), shrine of the Muses (Μοῦσα (Moûsa)).

This word in other languages

mosaico(Español)mosaïque(Français)Mosaik(Deutsch)mosaico(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmosaic
  • moasic
  • mosaci
  • mosaicc
  • mosiac
  • mossaic
  • msoaic
  • omsaic

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mosaic - 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.

mmosaic1moasic2mosaci2mosaicc1mosiac2mossaic1msoaic2omsaic2
Edit distance from "mosaic"

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 "mosaic"?
"mosaic" is spelled M-O-S-A-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /məʊˈzeɪk/.
What does "mosaic" mean?
As a noun, "mosaic" means: A piece of artwork created by placing colored squares (usually tiles) in a pattern so as to create a picture.
What words are commonly confused with "mosaic"?
"mosaic" is commonly confused with "music", "mystic". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mosaic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mosaic" is /məʊˈzeɪk/. 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 "mosaic"?
From Middle French mosaïque, from Italian mosaico, from Medieval Latin musaicum, from Late Latin musivum (opus), from Latin museum, musaeum, probably from Ancient Greek Μουσεῖον (Mouseîon), shrine of the Muses (Μοῦσα (Moûsa)). 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 "mosaic", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

optics#13,391larvae#13,376orphan#13,392kernel#13,374

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

rotate8 variantsflyer8 variantsadhere8 variantsAdidas8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list