mule
/mjuːl/noun, verb
mule is spelled M-U-L-E: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mule means “The generally sterile male or female hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mule is mules.
How many letters and syllables are in mule?
| Letters | 4: M-U-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,228th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is mule?
Mule appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,228th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce mule?
- /mjuːl/
- US /mjuːl/
- US /mjuːəl/
Mule has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-mule.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mule
Sounds like: mewl (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with mule?
9 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mule from its last stressed vowel (/ul/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: lume.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of mule
- mules plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- muling participle, present
- muled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mule mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The generally sterile male or female hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
- 2
The generally sterile hybrid offspring of any two species of animals.
- 3
archaicA hybrid plant.
- 4
informalA stubborn person.
- 5
slangA person paid to smuggle drugs.
- 6
A coin or medal minted with obverse and reverse designs not normally seen on the same piece, either intentionally or in error.
- 7
A MMORPG character, or NPC companion in a tabletop RPG, used mainly to store extra inventory for the owner's primary character.
- 8
Any of a group of cocktails involving ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and various liquors.
- 9
Any shoe with an upper covering the front of the foot but without a back flap or strap, leaving the heel exposed.
verb
- 1
slangTo smuggle (illegal drugs).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mule in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mule, mulet |
| German | Maultier, Muli , Pantolette |
| Portuguese | mulo, mula |
| Spanish | mulo, mula, acémila , burro |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does mule come from?
Inherited from Middle English mule, from Anglo-Norman mule (“she-mule”) and Old English mūl, both ultimately from Latin mūlus, from Proto-Indo-European *mukslós.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).