moult

/moʊlt/

//moʊlt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“moult” is an uncommon English word, ranked #70,927 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#70,927
frequency rank, English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.

Key facts for moult
PropertyValue
Headwordmoult
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/moʊlt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#70,927
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “moult” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). moult lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for moult is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /moʊlt/. Corpus data places it at rank #70,927 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for moult in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin mūtō, mūtāre. Doublet of mute and mutate. Un-etymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- (compare fault, vault and solder w… The correct English form is moult, spelled M-O-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.
  2. 2
    The skin or feathers cast off during the process of moulting.

Etymology

From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin mūtō, mūtāre. Doublet of mute and mutate. Un-etymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- (compare fault, vault and solder with correctly restored etymological ⟨l⟩).

This word in other languages

muda(Español)mue(Français)Mauser(Deutsch)muda(Português)

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 "moult"?
"moult" is spelled M-O-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /moʊlt/.
What does "moult" mean?
As a noun, "moult" means: The process of shedding or losing a covering of fur, feathers or skin etc.
How do you pronounce "moult"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moult" is /moʊlt/. 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 "moult"?
From Middle English mouten, from Old English *mutian (cf. bemutian), from Latin mūtō, mūtāre. Doublet of mute and mutate. Un-etymological ⟨l⟩ was introduced into the spelling by mistakenly assuming a French origin with -l- (compare fault, vault an... 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.

Using “moult”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-U-L-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /moʊlt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list