Moscow

/ˈmɒskəʊ/

//ˈmɒskəʊ// name

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

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

The verdict

“Moscow” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,511. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,511
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moscow · Moscow · English

Moscow · rank #3,511 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,511
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH morgan

Nearest frequency peer: morgan (-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 “Moscow”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Moscow” 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).

Moscow vs mascot
50% similar
Moscow vs morrow
50% similar

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

Key facts for Moscow
PropertyValue
HeadwordMoscow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈmɒskəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,511
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Moscow”

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).Moscowlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “morgan” (#3,510), “na” (#3,512), “min” (#3,509). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Moscow” is #3,511. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Moscow (IPA /ˈmɒskəʊ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #3,511 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 27 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Moscow, with forms such as "mmoscow", "mocsow", and "mosccow". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "mascot", "morrow", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Ultimately from Old East Slavic Москов- (Moskov-), originally referring to the Moskva River, probably from Proto-Slavic *mosky (“swamp, dampness, moisture”). Perhaps related to Czech moskva (“raw bread”), Slovak mozga (“puddle”), Polish Mozgawa, and more di… The correct English form is Moscow, spelled M-O-S-C-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.
  2. 2
    An oblast of Russia surrounding the city, which itself is not part of the oblast; in full, Moscow Oblast.
  3. 3
    The government of Russia or the Soviet Union.
  4. 4
    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
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    A large number of places in the United States:
  24. 24
    A large number of places in the United States:
  25. 25
    A hamlet in East Ayrshire council area, Scotland; probably named or re-named in 1812 for Napoleon's retreat from Moscow (OS grid ref NS4840).
  26. 26
    A village in Kottayam district, Kerala, India; named due to Soviet influence in Kerala during the Cold War.
  27. 27
    A nickname for the Brandon Estate, a social housing estate in Southwark, Central London; named because of gun violence and the use of Russian-made contraband firearms.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The mother, Ekaterina Pavlovna, who at one time had been handsome, but now, asthmatic, depressed, vague, and over-feeble for her years, tried to entertain me with conversation about painting. Having heard from her daughter that I might come to Shelkovka, she had hurriedly recalled two or three of my landscapes which she had seen in exhibitions in Moscow,…
  2. I was inclined to accept Yeltsin's invitation to go to Russia, but Tony Lake said Moscow shouldn't be my first foreign stop, and the rest of my team said it would divert attention from our domestic agenda.

Etymology

Ultimately from Old East Slavic Москов- (Moskov-), originally referring to the Moskva River, probably from Proto-Slavic *mosky (“swamp, dampness, moisture”). Perhaps related to Czech moskva (“raw bread”), Slovak mozga (“puddle”), Polish Mozgawa, and more distantly Latvian mazgāt (“to wash, rinse”), Sanskrit मज्जति (májjati, “to sink”), Latin mergō (“to dive”), all from Proto-Indo-European *mesg- (“to plunge, dip”). Cognate with Russian промозглый (promozglyj, “dank”). Doublet of Moskva.

This word in other languages

Moscú(Español)Moscou(Français)Moskau(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmoscow
  • mocsow
  • mosccow
  • moscoww
  • moscwo
  • mosocw
  • mosscow
  • msocow
  • omscow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Moscow - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

mmoscow1mocsow2mosccow1moscoww1moscwo2mosocw2mosscow1msocow2
Edit distance from "Moscow"

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 "Moscow"?
"Moscow" is spelled M-O-S-C-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɒskəʊ/.
What does "Moscow" mean?
As a proper noun, "Moscow" means: A federal city, the capital and largest city of Russia.
What words are commonly confused with "Moscow"?
"Moscow" is commonly confused with "mascot", "morrow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Moscow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Moscow" is /ˈmɒskəʊ/. 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 "Moscow"?
Ultimately from Old East Slavic Москов- (Moskov-), originally referring to the Moskva River, probably from Proto-Slavic *mosky (“swamp, dampness, moisture”). Perhaps related to Czech moskva (“raw bread”), Slovak mozga (“puddle”), Polish Mozgawa, a... 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 "Moscow", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

morgan#3,510judges#3,504prayer#3,520racist#3,522

Similar misspelling depth

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

rarely9 variantshockey9 variantshanded9 variantsflower9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list