mudlark

/ˈmʌdlɑːk/

//ˈmʌdlɑːk// noun

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

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pig; pork.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mudlark · mudlark · English

mudlark · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 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 mudlark
PropertyValue
Headwordmudlark
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌdlɑːk/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mudlark” in English

mudlarksits 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

mudlark is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmʌdlɑːk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for mudlark in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mud + lark. The correct English form is mudlark, spelled M-U-D-L-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pig; pork.
  2. 2
    One who scavenges in river or harbor mud for items of value, especially in London.
  3. 3
    A child who plays in the mud; a child that spends most of its time in the streets, a street urchin.
  4. 4
    A soldier of the Royal Engineers.
  5. 5
    Any of various birds that are found in muddy places or build their nests with mud, especially Anthus petrosus and Alauda arvensis.
  6. 6
    The Grallina cyanoleuca that builds its nest with mud into a bowl-like shape.
  7. 7
    A racehorse that performs well on muddy or wet tracks.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Besides these, there were the mudlark and the scupple hunter: the former prowling about at low water, receiving in his small bag such petty packages as he could get from his dishonest friends on board; and the later sneaking about the wharves and quays, under the pretense of wanting work, to pick up everything and anything that came to hand.
  2. She removes only what the water ‘delivers’ to her – items she can see lying on the surface. Unlike some other mudlarks, she does not dig for finds.

Etymology

From mud + lark.

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 "mudlark"?
"mudlark" is spelled M-U-D-L-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌdlɑːk/.
What does "mudlark" mean?
As a noun, "mudlark" means: A pig; pork.
How do you pronounce "mudlark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mudlark" is /ˈmʌdlɑːk/. 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 "mudlark"?
From mud + lark. 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