mug

/mʌɡ/

//mʌɡ// noun

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

"mug" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mug” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #11,072) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#11,072
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large cup for beverages, usually having a handle and used without a saucer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mug · mug · English

mug · rank #11,072 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,072
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH milestone

Nearest frequency peer: milestone (-1 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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mug”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mug” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mug vs my
33% similar
mug vs MW
0% similar
mug vs MV
0% similar

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

Key facts for mug
PropertyValue
Headwordmug
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mʌɡ/
Letters3
Frequency rank#11,072
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mug” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).muglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “milestone” (#11,071), “municipality” (#11,073), “masculine” (#11,070). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for mug is neighbouring look-alikes ("my", "MW", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /mʌɡ/. Frequency #11,072 among 4,057 “M” headwords. 6 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for mug in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "my", "MW", "MV", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Early 16th century (originally Scots and northern English, denoting "earthenware, pot, jug"), of unknown origin, perhaps from North Germanic (compare Swedish mugg (“mug, jug”), Norwegian mugge (“pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), Danish mugge), or Low Ger… The correct English form is mug, spelled M-U-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large cup for beverages, usually having a handle and used without a saucer.
  2. 2
    The face.
  3. 3
    A gullible or easily cheated person.
  4. 4
    A stupid or contemptible person.
  5. 5
    A criminal.
  6. 6
    A mug shot.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] 'let him go, I tell you, or I'll be after breaking your ugly mug,' and with that I gave him a dig that knocked him into smithereens.
  2. When did ever a gentleman o’ fortune show his stern to that much dollars for a boosy old seaman with a blue mug — and him dead too?

Etymology

Early 16th century (originally Scots and northern English, denoting "earthenware, pot, jug"), of unknown origin, perhaps from North Germanic (compare Swedish mugg (“mug, jug”), Norwegian mugge (“pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), Danish mugge), or Low German mokke, mukke (“mug”), German Low German Muck (“drinking cup”), Dutch mok (“mug”), also of unknown origin. Perhaps related to Old English muga (“stack”) and Old Norse múgr (“mass, heap (of corn)”). Compare also Middle English mug, mog (“a measure of salt”).

This word in other languages

taza(Español)(grande) tasse(Français)Becher(Deutsch)caneca(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 "mug"?
"mug" is spelled M-U-G. The IPA pronunciation is /mʌɡ/.
What does "mug" mean?
As a noun, "mug" means: A large cup for beverages, usually having a handle and used without a saucer.
What words are commonly confused with "mug"?
"mug" is commonly confused with "my", "MW", "MV". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mug"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mug" is /mʌɡ/. 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 "mug"?
Early 16th century (originally Scots and northern English, denoting "earthenware, pot, jug"), of unknown origin, perhaps from North Germanic (compare Swedish mugg (“mug, jug”), Norwegian mugge (“pitcher, open can for warm drinks”), Danish mugge), ... 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 "mug", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ned#11,076mag#11,067pcs#11,084pod#11,087

What to do next

You've looked up "mug". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mug" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "my". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #11,072 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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