muggins
/ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/
"muggins" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“muggins” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | muggins |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “muggins” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for muggins is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for muggins, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: Origin unknown. Sense 'fool' originally British slang of 1770s, probably an extension of earlier mug (“fool”). Game senses perhaps from surname Muggins. The correct English form is muggins, spelled M-U-G-G-I-N-S.
Definition
- 1A fool or idiot (especially as an ironic way of referring to oneself).
- 2The act of stealing another player's points because they either mispegged or counted up incorrectly.
- 3A game of dominoes in which the object is to make the sum of the two ends of the line some multiple of five.
- 4A card game based on building in suits or matching exposed cards, the object being to get rid of one's cards.
Etymology
Origin unknown. Sense 'fool' originally British slang of 1770s, probably an extension of earlier mug (“fool”). Game senses perhaps from surname Muggins.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “muggins”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-U-G-G-I-N-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmʌ.ɡɪnz/ (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.