mouthful

/ˈmaʊθfʊl/

//ˈmaʊθfʊl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mouthful” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,630. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,630
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The amount that will fit in a mouth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mouthful vs mournful
75% similar

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

Key facts for mouthful
PropertyValue
Headwordmouthful
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmaʊθfʊl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#28,630
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mouthful” 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). mouthful lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around mouthful (IPA /ˈmaʊθfʊl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,630 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for mouthful, with forms such as "mmouthful", "motuhful", and "mouhtful". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "mournful", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mouthful, mouth-full, mouthe full, from Old English *mūþfull, from Proto-West Germanic *munþafull, equivalent to mouth + -ful. Compare Dutch mondvol (“mouthful”), German Mundvoll (“mouthful”), Danish mundfuld (“mouthful”), Swedish munful… The correct English form is mouthful, spelled M-O-U-T-H-F-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The amount that will fit in a mouth.
  2. 2
    Quite a bit.
  3. 3
    Something difficult to pronounce or say.
  4. 4
    A tirade of abusive language.

Etymology

From Middle English mouthful, mouth-full, mouthe full, from Old English *mūþfull, from Proto-West Germanic *munþafull, equivalent to mouth + -ful. Compare Dutch mondvol (“mouthful”), German Mundvoll (“mouthful”), Danish mundfuld (“mouthful”), Swedish munfull (“mouthful”), Icelandic munnfylli (“mouthful”). Compare also West Frisian mûlfol (“mouthful”).

Synonyms

beltchugdraftdraughtdrinkgulpmouthfulnipshotsipslugswig

Antonyms

bootfulbucketfulcupfulgallon

This word in other languages

bocado(Español)gorgée(Français)bocado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmouthful
  • motuhful
  • mouhtful
  • moutfhul
  • mouthfful
  • mouthflu
  • mouthfull
  • mouthhful
  • mouthufl
  • moutthful
  • muothful
  • omuthful

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmouthful1motuhful2mouhtful2moutfhul2mouthfful1mouthflu2mouthfull1mouthhful1
Edit distance from "mouthful"

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 "mouthful"?
"mouthful" is spelled M-O-U-T-H-F-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmaʊθfʊl/.
What does "mouthful" mean?
As a noun, "mouthful" means: The amount that will fit in a mouth.
What words are commonly confused with "mouthful"?
"mouthful" is commonly confused with "mournful". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mouthful"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mouthful" is /ˈmaʊθfʊl/. 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 "mouthful"?
From Middle English mouthful, mouth-full, mouthe full, from Old English *mūþfull, from Proto-West Germanic *munþafull, equivalent to mouth + -ful. Compare Dutch mondvol (“mouthful”), German Mundvoll (“mouthful”), Danish mundfuld (“mouthful”), Swed... 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 “mouthful”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-O-U-T-H-F-U-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmaʊθfʊl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mournful” - see the side-by-side comparison. mouthful vs mournful
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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