moulder

/ˈməʊldə/

//ˈməʊldə// verb

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

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

The verdict

“moulder” is uncommon English (frequency #82,562 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,562
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Often followed by away or down: to cause (something) to decay or rot, or to crumble to pieces.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moulder · moulder · English

moulder · rank #82,562 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,562
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Morant

Nearest frequency peer: Morant (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “moulder”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “moulder” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for moulder
PropertyValue
Headwordmoulder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈməʊldə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#82,562
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “moulder” in English

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).moulderfalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Morant” (#82,560), “Mountford” (#82,564), “moonshot” (#82,559). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “moulder” is #82,562. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

moulder is uncommon English at frequency #82,562 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈməʊldə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for moulder in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mould (“loose friable soil; rotting earth regarded as the substance of the human body”) + -er (suffix forming frequentative verbs), probably influenced by mould (“furry growth of fungi”). Mould is derived from Middle English mold, molde (“loose friable… The correct English form is moulder, spelled M-O-U-L-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Often followed by away or down: to cause (something) to decay or rot, or to crumble to pieces.
  2. 2
    To cause (someone or something) to die away or disappear.
  3. 3
    Often followed by away: to decay or rot, or to crumble to pieces.
  4. 4
    To die away, to disappear.
  5. 5
    Often followed by away: of a group of people (especially an army): to diminish in number; to dwindle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In a certaine kingdome of theſe late-diſcovered Indies, vpon the day of a ſolemne proceſſion, in vvhich the Idoles they adore, are publikely caried vpo and dovvne, […] there are numbered of others ſeene, vvho proſtrating themſelves alongſt vpon the ground, endure very paciently to be mouldred and cruſhed to death, vnder the Chariots vvheeles, thinking the…
  2. [S]harp and corroding rheums had so early mouldered those rocks and hardest parts of his fabric [teeth], that a man might well conceive that his years were never like to double or twice tell over his teeth.

Etymology

From mould (“loose friable soil; rotting earth regarded as the substance of the human body”) + -er (suffix forming frequentative verbs), probably influenced by mould (“furry growth of fungi”). Mould is derived from Middle English mold, molde (“loose friable soil, dirt, earth; earth as the substance out of which God made man, and to which the human body decays into after death”), from Old English molde (“earth, soil”), from Proto-Germanic *muldō (“dirt, soil; furry growth of fungi, mould”), from Proto-Indo-European *melh₂- (“to crush, grind”).

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 "moulder"?
"moulder" is spelled M-O-U-L-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈməʊldə/.
What does "moulder" mean?
As a verb, "moulder" means: Often followed by away or down: to cause (something) to decay or rot, or to crumble to pieces.
How do you pronounce "moulder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moulder" is /ˈməʊldə/. 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 "moulder"?
From mould (“loose friable soil; rotting earth regarded as the substance of the human body”) + -er (suffix forming frequentative verbs), probably influenced by mould (“furry growth of fungi”). Mould is derived from Middle English mold, molde (“loo... 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 "moulder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

misting#82,549Midgard#82,544Navidad#82,584Meisner#82,539

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list