motley
mot·ley/ˈmɑtli/adjective, noun, verb
motley is spelled M-O-T-L-E-Y: 6 letters and 2 syllables (mot·ley). It appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, motley means “Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in motley?
| Letters | 6: M-O-T-L-E-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: mot·ley |
| In writing | 1.2 times per million words; the 25,751st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is motley?
Motley appears 1.2 times per million words in written English, the 25,751st 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 motley?
- UK /ˈmɒtli/
- US /ˈmɑtli/
Motley has 2 syllables, split mot·ley in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-motley.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of motley
- more motley comparative
- motlier comparative
- motleyer comparative
- most motley superlative
- motliest superlative
- motleyest superlative
- motleys plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- motleying participle, present
- motleyed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does motley mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Comprising greatly varied elements, to the point of incongruity.
- 2
Having many colours; variegated.
noun
- 1
An incongruous mixture.
- 2
A jester's multicoloured clothes.
- 3
A jester; a fool.
verb
- 1
To give something a patchwork appearance.
- 2
To make something multicolored, variegated, or diverse in character.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Motley in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | hétéroclite , bigarré |
| German | zusammengewürfelt, bunt zusammengeworfen, vielfältig, verschiedenartig, divers, heterogen |
| Portuguese | misto , variegado |
| Spanish | heterogéneo, variopinto, variado, abigarrado , mezcolanza, batiburrillo |
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 motley come from?
From Middle English motle, from Anglo-Norman motteley (“parti-colored”), from Old English mot (“speck”). Doublet of mote. The English word can be analysed as mottle + -y.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).