mould

/moʊld/

//moʊld// noun

"mould" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mould” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,078. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,078
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mould · mould · English

mould · rank #16,078 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,078
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mistakenly

Nearest frequency peer: mistakenly (-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 “mould”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mould” 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).

mould vs MUD
0% similar
mould vs mule
60% similar
mould vs mull
60% similar

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

Key facts for mould
PropertyValue
Headwordmould
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/moʊld/
Letters5
Frequency rank#16,078
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mould”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mouldlands 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 “mistakenly” (#16,077), “neuroscience” (#16,079), “Niger” (#16,080). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mould” is #16,078. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mould (IPA /moʊld/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,078 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mould, with forms such as "mmould", "molud", and "moudl". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MUD", "mule", "mull", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Via Middle English molde, moulde (“mould, cast”) and Old French modle, from Latin modulus. The correct English form is mould, spelled M-O-U-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The portals are being constructed in situ, using a moveable mould that is made up of three parts. The inner form traveller supports the weight of the steel rebar and concrete as it is being poured and forms the inner shape of the portal. The external shape is formed by wall sections (assembled in situ) and a moveable arch-shaped outer section.

Etymology

Via Middle English molde, moulde (“mould, cast”) and Old French modle, from Latin modulus.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmould
  • molud
  • moudl
  • mouldd
  • moulld
  • muold
  • omuld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mould - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmould1molud2moudl2mouldd1moulld1muold2omuld2
Edit distance from "mould"

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 "mould"?
"mould" is spelled M-O-U-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /moʊld/.
What does "mould" mean?
As a noun, "mould" means: Commonwealth standard spelling of mold.
What words are commonly confused with "mould"?
"mould" is commonly confused with "MUD", "mule", "mull". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mould"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mould" is /moʊld/. 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 "mould"?
Via Middle English molde, moulde (“mould, cast”) and Old French modle, from Latin modulus. 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 "mould", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list