# mule

> English word · Noun · IPA /mjuːl/ · frequency rank #16,279

## Definitions
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. A hybrid plant.
4. A stubborn person.
5. A 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. A kind of triangular sail for a yacht.
10. A kind of cotton-spinning machine.

## Etymology
From Middle English mule, from Anglo-Norman mule and Old English mūl, both from Latin mūlus, from Proto-Indo-European *mukslós. Compare Late Latin muscellus (“young he-mule”), Old East Slavic мъшкъ (mŭškŭ, “mule”), Ancient Greek (Phocian) μυχλός (mukhlós, “he-ass”), and German Maul Maultier, Maulesel (through Latin).

## Easily confused with
- **mum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mum)
- **mun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mun)
- **must** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-must)
- **mute** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mute)
- **muse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muse)
- **musk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-musk)
- **mums** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mums)
- **Musa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-musa)
- **mush** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mush)
- **mull** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mull)
- **mutt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mutt)
- **muni** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muni)
- **Munn** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-munn)
- **multi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-multi)
- **muted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muted)
- **Myles** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-myles)
- **mules** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-mules)
- **muses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muses)
- **muscle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muscle)
- **muzzle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mule-vs-muzzle)

## Common misspellings (5)
`mlue`, `mmule`, `muel`, `mulle`, `umle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mule