multitude

/ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/

//ˈmʌltɪtjuːd// noun

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

"multitude" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“multitude” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,198. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,198
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-multitude · multitude · English

multitude · rank #13,198 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #13,198
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MMA

Nearest frequency peer: MMA (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “multitude”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “multitude” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

multitude vs multitudes
90% similar

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

Key facts for multitude
PropertyValue
Headwordmultitude
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,198
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “multitude” sits in English frequency

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).multitudelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “MMA” (#13,197), “muse” (#13,199), “nanny” (#13,200). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around multitude (IPA /ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,198 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for multitude, with forms such as "mlutitude", "mmultitude", and "mulittude". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "multitudes", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English multitude, multitud, multytude (“(great) amount or number of people or things; multitudinous”), borrowed from Old French multitude (“crowd of people; diversity, wide range”), or directly from its etymon Latin multitūdō (“great amount or … The correct English form is multitude, spelled M-U-L-T-I-T-U-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.
  2. 2
    The mass of ordinary people; the masses, the populace.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Do I contradict myself? / Very well then I contradict myself, / (I am large, I contain multitudes.)
  2. A torrential rain poured down from the floodgates of the angry heavens upon the bared heads of the assembled multitude which numbered at the lowest computation five hundred thousand persons.

Etymology

From Middle English multitude, multitud, multytude (“(great) amount or number of people or things; multitudinous”), borrowed from Old French multitude (“crowd of people; diversity, wide range”), or directly from its etymon Latin multitūdō (“great amount or number of people or things”), from multus (“many; much”) + -tūdō (suffix forming abstract nouns indicating a state or condition). The English word is analysable as multi- + -itude.

This word in other languages

multitud(Español)multitude(Français)Vielzahl(Deutsch)multidão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mlutitude
  • mmultitude
  • mulittude
  • mulltitude
  • multitdue
  • multittude
  • multitudde
  • multitued
  • multiutde
  • multtitude
  • multtiude
  • mutlitude
  • umltitude

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of multitude - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mlutitude2mmultitude1mulittude2mulltitude1multitdue2multittude1multitudde1multitued2
Edit distance from "multitude"

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 "multitude"?
"multitude" is spelled M-U-L-T-I-T-U-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/.
What does "multitude" mean?
As a noun, "multitude" means: A great amount or number, often of people; abundance, myriad, profusion.
What words are commonly confused with "multitude"?
"multitude" is commonly confused with "multitudes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "multitude"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "multitude" is /ˈmʌltɪtjuːd/. 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 "multitude"?
From Middle English multitude, multitud, multytude (“(great) amount or number of people or things; multitudinous”), borrowed from Old French multitude (“crowd of people; diversity, wide range”), or directly from its etymon Latin multitūdō (“great ... 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 "multitude", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mackenzie#13,191librarian#13,187protested#13,220readiness#13,223

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

plumbing13 variantsgeometric13 variantsSnapchat13 variantsempowered13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "multitude". Here's where to go from here.

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "multitudes". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #13,198 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list