mote

/moʊt/

//moʊt// noun

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

"mote" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mote” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,526. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,526
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small particle; a speck.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mote · mote · English

mote · rank #45,526 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,526
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH multiracial

Nearest frequency peer: multiracial (+2 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 “mote”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mote” 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).

mote vs MT
0% similar
mote vs MTV
0% similar
mote vs mou
50% similar

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

Key facts for mote
PropertyValue
Headwordmote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/moʊt/
Letters4
Frequency rank#45,526
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mote”

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).motelands 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 “multiracial” (#45,528), “moonlit” (#45,522), “Murchison” (#45,530). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mote” is #45,526. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mote (IPA /moʊt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,526 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A small particle; a speck.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mote, with forms such as "mmote", "moet", and "motte". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MT", "MTV", "mou", 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 mot, from Old English mot (“grain of sand; mote; atom”), from Proto-West Germanic *mot (“grain of dirt or sand, speck”). Perhaps linked to English mud. Compare West Frisian mot (“peat dust”), Dutch mot (“dust from turf; sawdust; grit”), … The correct English form is mote, spelled M-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small particle; a speck.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.
  2. What shall a Mote up to a Monarch rise? An Emmet match an Emperor in might?

Etymology

From Middle English mot, from Old English mot (“grain of sand; mote; atom”), from Proto-West Germanic *mot (“grain of dirt or sand, speck”). Perhaps linked to English mud. Compare West Frisian mot (“peat dust”), Dutch mot (“dust from turf; sawdust; grit”), Low German mut (“peat dust, grit”), Norwegian mutt (“speck; mote; splinter; chip”), Italian mota (“mud”), Spanish mota (“speck”).

Synonyms

modicum

This word in other languages

mota(Español)atome(Français)Stäubchen(Deutsch)partícula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmote
  • moet
  • motte
  • mtoe
  • omte

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmote1moet2motte1mtoe2omte2
Edit distance from "mote"

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 "mote"?
"mote" is spelled M-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /moʊt/.
What does "mote" mean?
As a noun, "mote" means: A small particle; a speck.
What words are commonly confused with "mote"?
"mote" is commonly confused with "MT", "MTV", "mou". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mote" is /moʊt/. 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 "mote"?
From Middle English mot, from Old English mot (“grain of sand; mote; atom”), from Proto-West Germanic *mot (“grain of dirt or sand, speck”). Perhaps linked to English mud. Compare West Frisian mot (“peat dust”), Dutch mot (“dust from turf; sawdust... 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 "mote", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

naik#45,534NAND#45,536MERS#45,510meer#45,507

Similar misspelling depth

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

novi5 variantsokra5 variantskono5 variantskobo5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list