mullah

/ˈmʊ.lə/

//ˈmʊ.lə// noun

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

"mullah" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mullah” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,353. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,353
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An honorific title for a scholar of theology and sharia law.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mullah · mullah · English

mullah · rank #40,353 · 7 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,353
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH muh

Nearest frequency peer: muh (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “mullah”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “mullah” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

mullah vs muller
67% similar
mullah vs mullen
67% similar
mullah vs mullet
67% similar

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

Key facts for mullah
PropertyValue
Headwordmullah
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʊ.lə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#40,353
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mullah”

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).mullahlands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “muh” (#40,352), “MRT” (#40,351), “mournful” (#40,350). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mullah” is #40,353. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mullah (IPA /ˈmʊ.lə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,353 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mullah, with forms such as "mlulah", "mmullah", and "mulah". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "muller", "mullen", "mullet", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”). The correct English form is mullah, spelled M-U-L-L-A-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An honorific title for a scholar of theology and sharia law.
  2. 2
    An honorific title for a mosque leader.
  3. 3
    A scholar and teacher of theology and sharia law, and an issuer of fatwas.
  4. 4
    A conservative Muslim leader or cleric, especially one who is hostile against other religions.
  5. 5
    A Muslim.
  6. 6
    A low-level cleric who specializes in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas.
  7. 7
    A low-level cleric who specializes in telling stories of Ashura, rather than teaching or issuing fatwas. See also: ruhani

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Leading Republicans do not sympathize with the mullahs, do not repeat their talking points, and do not seek to appease them when they make outrageous claims about other countries.
  2. In the first week of March 2018, the Shia mullah issues a fatwa prohibiting vengeance killing and requiring reconciliation.

Etymology

Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”).

This word in other languages

mulá(Español)mollah(Français)Mullah(Deutsch)mulá(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mlulah
  • mmullah
  • mulah
  • mulalh
  • mullahh
  • mullha
  • umllah

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mullah - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

mlulah2mmullah1mulah1mulalh2mullahh1mullha2umllah2
Edit distance from "mullah"

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 "mullah"?
"mullah" is spelled M-U-L-L-A-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʊ.lə/.
What does "mullah" mean?
As a noun, "mullah" means: An honorific title for a scholar of theology and sharia law.
What words are commonly confused with "mullah"?
"mullah" is commonly confused with "muller", "mullen", "mullet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mullah"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mullah" is /ˈmʊ.lə/. 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 "mullah"?
Derived from Classical Persian مُلَّا (mullā), from Arabic مَوْلًى (mawlan, “vicar, guardian”). 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 "mullah", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nicked#40,359molest#40,346Malays#40,333pacify#40,378

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Nuttall7 variantsLuzon7 variantslurid7 variantsOzark7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list