mullein
/ˈmʌlɪn/
"mullein" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mullein” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mullein |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmʌlɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mullein” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
mullein is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmʌlɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.".
No misspelling variants are generated for mullein in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English moleyne, from Anglo-Norman moleine, which is either a Celtic borrowing and derived from Proto-Celtic *melinos (“yellow”) from *meli (“honey”) – an adjective found in Breton melen (“yellow”) and Welsh melyn (“yellow”) – or from mol (“soft… The correct English form is mullein, spelled M-U-L-L-E-I-N.
Definition
- 1Any of a few hundred species of European and Asian plants, of the genus Verbascum, especially that majority that have yellow flowers.
Etymology
From Middle English moleyne, from Anglo-Norman moleine, which is either a Celtic borrowing and derived from Proto-Celtic *melinos (“yellow”) from *meli (“honey”) – an adjective found in Breton melen (“yellow”) and Welsh melyn (“yellow”) – or from mol (“soft”), from Latin mollis (“soft”), referencing the plant's fluffy, downy leaves, also apparent in synonyms such as feltwort, flannel leaf, and velvet plant.
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 “mullein”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-U-L-L-E-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmʌlɪn/ (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.