musk

/mʌsk/

//mʌsk// noun

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

"musk" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“musk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,223. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,223
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.

Corpus desk

Index EN-musk · musk · English

musk · rank #15,223 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,223
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Murdoch

Nearest frequency peer: Murdoch (-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 “musk”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “musk” 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).

musk vs must
75% similar
musk vs mute
50% similar
musk vs mutt
50% similar

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

Key facts for musk
PropertyValue
Headwordmusk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mʌsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#15,223
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “musk” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). musk lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around musk (IPA /mʌsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,223 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for musk, with forms such as "mmusk", "msuk", and "muks". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "must", "mute", "mutt", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /⁠muʃk⁠/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle”), the sh… The correct English form is musk, spelled M-U-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
  2. 2
    A similar secretion produced by the otter and the civet.
  3. 3
    A synthetic organic compound used as a substitute for the above.
  4. 4
    The odour of musk.
  5. 5
    A musk deer (genus Moschus).
  6. 6
    A muskflower (Erythranthe moschata).
  7. 7
    A plant of the genus Erodium (Erodium moschatum); the musky heronsbill.
  8. 8
    A plant of the genus Muscari; grape hyacinth.
  9. 9
    The scent of human genitalia when aroused or unwashed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Your onely way to make a good pomander, is this. Take an ownce of the pureſt garden mould, clenſed and ſteeped ſeauen daies in change of motherleſſe roſe water, then take the beſt Labdanum, Benioine, both Storaxes, amber greece, and Ciuet, and muſke, incorporate them together, and work them into what form you pleaſe; this, if your breath bee not to valian…
  2. An old medical record relates that by means of musk the genital power of a man in his eightieth year was resuscitated.

Etymology

From Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /⁠muʃk⁠/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle”), the shape of the gland of animals secreting the substance being compared to human testicles, a diminutive of मूष् (mūṣ, “mouse”), the shape of human testicles being compared to mice, from Proto-Indo-European *muh₂s (“mouse”). Cognate with mouse.

This word in other languages

almizcle(Español)musc(Français)Moschus(Deutsch)almíscar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmusk
  • msuk
  • muks
  • muskk
  • mussk
  • umsk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmusk1msuk2muks2muskk1mussk1umsk2
Edit distance from "musk"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "musk"?
"musk" is spelled M-U-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /mʌsk/.
What does "musk" mean?
As a noun, "musk" means: A greasy secretion with a powerful odour, produced in a glandular sac of the male musk deer and used in the manufacture of perfumes.
What words are commonly confused with "musk"?
"musk" is commonly confused with "must", "mute", "mutt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "musk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "musk" is /mʌsk/. 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 "musk"?
From Middle English muske, borrowed from Old French musc, from Late Latin muscus, from Ancient Greek μόσχος (móskhos), from Middle Persian [script needed] (mwšk' /⁠muʃk⁠/) whence Persian مشک (mošk). Ultimately from Sanskrit मुष्क (muṣka, “testicle... 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 "musk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

loot#15,213nuns#15,233odor#15,234loaf#15,210

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

knob6 variantsquasi6 variantsReese6 variantsReich6 variants

What to do next

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

  • "musk" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "must". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #15,223 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