moussaka

/muːsɑːˈkə/

//muːsɑːˈkə// noun

"moussaka" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“moussaka” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dish consisting of layers of minced lamb or beef, sliced aubergine (eggplant) or potatoes, tomatoes and béchamel sauce, baked in the oven.

Corpus desk

Index EN-moussaka · moussaka · English

moussaka · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for moussaka
PropertyValue
Headwordmoussaka
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/muːsɑːˈkə/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “moussaka” in English

moussakasits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

moussaka is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /muːsɑːˈkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A dish consisting of layers of minced lamb or beef, sliced aubergine (eggplant) or potatoes, tomatoes and béchamel sauce, baked in the oven.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for moussaka, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Greek μουσακάς (mousakás), from Ottoman Turkish موصاقه (musakka), from Arabic مُسَقَّعَة (musaqqaʕa) or originally from Arabic مُصَقَّعَة (muṣaqqaʕa), from the trilateral root ص ق ع (ṣ q ʕ): “to hit, to pound, to smash”. The correct English form is moussaka, spelled M-O-U-S-S-A-K-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dish consisting of layers of minced lamb or beef, sliced aubergine (eggplant) or potatoes, tomatoes and béchamel sauce, baked in the oven.

Etymology

Borrowed from Greek μουσακάς (mousakás), from Ottoman Turkish موصاقه (musakka), from Arabic مُسَقَّعَة (musaqqaʕa) or originally from Arabic مُصَقَّعَة (muṣaqqaʕa), from the trilateral root ص ق ع (ṣ q ʕ): “to hit, to pound, to smash”.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "moussaka"?
"moussaka" is spelled M-O-U-S-S-A-K-A. The IPA pronunciation is /muːsɑːˈkə/.
What does "moussaka" mean?
As a noun, "moussaka" means: A dish consisting of layers of minced lamb or beef, sliced aubergine (eggplant) or potatoes, tomatoes and béchamel sauce, baked in the oven.
How do you pronounce "moussaka"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "moussaka" is /muːsɑːˈkə/. 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 "moussaka"?
Borrowed from Greek μουσακάς (mousakás), from Ottoman Turkish موصاقه (musakka), from Arabic مُسَقَّعَة (musaqqaʕa) or originally from Arabic مُصَقَّعَة (muṣaqqaʕa), from the trilateral root ص ق ع (ṣ q ʕ): “to hit, to pound, to smash”. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list