mottled

/ˈmɑt əld/

//ˈmɑt əld// adj

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

"mottled" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mottled” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,976. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,976
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Colored in patches; spotted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mottled · mottled · English

mottled · rank #38,976 · 9 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,976
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Moulton

Nearest frequency peer: Moulton (+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 “mottled”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mottled” 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).

mottled vs mouthed
71% similar
mottled vs motley
71% similar
mottled vs matted
71% similar

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

Key facts for mottled
PropertyValue
Headwordmottled
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmɑt əld/
Letters7
Frequency rank#38,976
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mottled”

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).mottledlands 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 “Moulton” (#38,977), “mountaineer” (#38,978), “Moorish” (#38,973). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mottled” is #38,976. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around mottled (IPA /ˈmɑt əld/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #38,976 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Colored in patches; spotted.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for mottled, with forms such as "mmottled", "motled", and "motlted". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "mouthed", "motley", "matted", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1670-80 mottle + -ed. The correct English form is mottled, spelled M-O-T-T-L-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Colored in patches; spotted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The mottled skin of the snake was a camouflage that helped it blend in with the shadows.

Etymology

1670-80 mottle + -ed.

This word in other languages

moteado(Español)tacheté(Français)gesprenkelt(Deutsch)malhado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmottled
  • motled
  • motlted
  • motteld
  • mottlde
  • mottledd
  • mottlled
  • mtotled
  • omttled

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmottled1motled1motlted2motteld2mottlde2mottledd1mottlled1mtotled2
Edit distance from "mottled"

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 "mottled"?
"mottled" is spelled M-O-T-T-L-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑt əld/.
What does "mottled" mean?
As an adjective, "mottled" means: Colored in patches; spotted.
What words are commonly confused with "mottled"?
"mottled" is commonly confused with "mouthed", "motley", "matted". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mottled"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mottled" is /ˈmɑt əld/. 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 "mottled"?
1670-80 mottle + -ed. 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 "mottled", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Moulton#38,977Moorish#38,973makings#38,953obelisk#38,999

Similar misspelling depth

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

misfit9 variantsLipton9 variantspanning9 variantsplaning9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list