moth
/mɔθ/noun, verb
moth is spelled M-O-T-H: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, moth means “Any flying insect of the order Lepidoptera not in the superfamily Papilionoidea, most species of which are nocturnal and can be distinguished from…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of moth is moths.
How many letters and syllables are in moth?
| Letters | 4: M-O-T-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.2 times per million words; the 14,928th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is moth?
Moth appears 3.2 times per million words in written English, the 14,928th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce moth?
- UK /mɒθ/
- US /mɔθ/
- /mɑθ/
As a noun (“A moth bean plant (Vigna aconitifolia)”): /məʊt/, /moʊt/.
Moth has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-UK-moth.oga, En-us-moth.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-moth_(moat).wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with moth
Also written: mote.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with moth?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as moth from its last stressed vowel (/ɔθ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of moth
- moths plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mothing participle, present
- mothed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does moth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any flying insect of the order Lepidoptera not in the superfamily Papilionoidea, most species of which are nocturnal and can be distinguished from butterflies by feather-like antennae.
- 2
Anything that gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes any other thing.
- 3
A moth bean plant (Vigna aconitifolia).
- 4
IrelandslangA girlfriend.
- 5
obsoleteObsolete form of mote.
- 6
datedA liver spot, especially an irregular or feathery one.
To remove moth patches, wash the spots with a solution of common bicarbonate of soda and water several times a day, until the patches are removed, which will usually be in forty-eight hours.
verb
- 1
To hunt for moths.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Moth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mite, papillon de nuit, phalène |
| German | Motte, Nachtfalter , Mattenbohne |
| Portuguese | traça, mariposa |
| Spanish | polilla, taraza |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does moth come from?
From Middle English moth, moththe, motthe, moght, mohþe, mouȝte, from Old English moþþe, mohþe, mohþa, from Proto-West Germanic *moþþā, from Proto-Germanic *maþô ~ *muttaz (“insect, worm, maggot”), from Proto-Indo-European *mutn-, *mut- (“worm”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).