mukhtar

/ˈmʊktɑː/

//ˈmʊktɑː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mukhtar” is uncommon English (frequency #56,925 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,925
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A minor official—usually overseeing a village or town—in many Arab countries and (historical) in the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, including Turkey, Northern Cyprus, and formerly Albania.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mukhtar · mukhtar · English

mukhtar · rank #56,925 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,925
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH multilayer

Nearest frequency peer: multilayer (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “mukhtar”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mukhtar” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mukhtar
PropertyValue
Headwordmukhtar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʊktɑː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#56,925
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mukhtar” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mukhtarfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “multilayer” (#56,926), “morose” (#56,921), “mungo” (#56,929). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mukhtar” is #56,925. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mukhtar is uncommon English at frequency #56,925 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmʊktɑː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mukhtar, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From North Levantine Arabic مختار (“village headman”), from substantive application of Arabic مُخْتَار (muḵtār, “chosen”), the passive participle of اِخْتَارَ (iḵtāra, “to elect, to choose”). Specific application with influence from various local languages … The correct English form is mukhtar, spelled M-U-K-H-T-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A minor official—usually overseeing a village or town—in many Arab countries and (historical) in the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, including Turkey, Northern Cyprus, and formerly Albania.
  2. 2
    A minor official—usually overseeing a village or town—in many Arab countries and (historical) in the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, including Turkey, Northern Cyprus, and formerly Albania.
  3. 3
    A person acting as an agent, particularly a lawyer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mukhtar Khan, the ſoubadar, who was attached to Azim Shaw, and father-in-law to Bedar Bukht, hoping to impede his progreſs, ſunk all the boats in the Jumna, and placed guards at the neareſt fords.
  2. Afterwards, when the Raja complained against us, Mr. Ogilvy issued an order to me, No. 836 of 1845, directing us not to interfere with the jumebundee matters of the Raja, who was mooktar of his territory, but only to report cases in which he or his kharbarree might levy more than the assessment; accordingly I made several reports of over-exaction, which a…

Etymology

From North Levantine Arabic مختار (“village headman”), from substantive application of Arabic مُخْتَار (muḵtār, “chosen”), the passive participle of اِخْتَارَ (iḵtāra, “to elect, to choose”). Specific application with influence from various local languages including Ottoman Turkish مختار (muhtar, “village headman”) and Bengali মুখতার (mukhtar), Marathi मुख्तार (mukhtār), and Urdu مختار (muktār, “agent; lawyer”). Within Indian English, the application of mukhtar is influenced by a folk etymology derivation from Sanskrit मुक्ति (mukti, “liberation, becoming or setting free”). Doublet of muhtar.

This word in other languages

moukhtar(Français)

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 "mukhtar"?
"mukhtar" is spelled M-U-K-H-T-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʊktɑː/.
What does "mukhtar" mean?
As a noun, "mukhtar" means: A minor official—usually overseeing a village or town—in many Arab countries and (historical) in the Ottoman Empire and its successor states, including Turkey, Northern Cyprus, and formerly Albania.
How do you pronounce "mukhtar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mukhtar" is /ˈmʊktɑː/. 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 "mukhtar"?
From North Levantine Arabic مختار (“village headman”), from substantive application of Arabic مُخْتَار (muḵtār, “chosen”), the passive participle of اِخْتَارَ (iḵtāra, “to elect, to choose”). Specific application with influence from various local ... 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 "mukhtar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

momento#56,920Newquay#56,936O'Dwyer#56,942Merrell#56,907

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list