muslin

/ˈmʌz.lɪn/

//ˈmʌz.lɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“muslin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #44,948 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#44,948
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several varieties of thin cotton cloth.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

muslin vs music
67% similar
muslin vs Mulan
50% similar
muslin vs Malin
50% similar

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

Key facts for muslin
PropertyValue
Headwordmuslin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌz.lɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#44,948
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “muslin” 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). muslin lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for muslin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmʌz.lɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #44,948 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for muslin, with forms such as "mmuslin", "msulin", and "mulsin". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "music", "Mulan", "Malin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo (“Mosul”), that is Mosul in northern Iraq (compare 1875 Knight, Edward H., Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, V2 p1502: "Muslins are so called from Moussol in India."). Doublet of mousseline. The correct English form is muslin, spelled M-U-S-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several varieties of thin cotton cloth.
  2. 2
    Fabric made of cotton, flax (linen), hemp, or silk, finely or coarsely woven.
  3. 3
    Any of a wide variety of tightly-woven thin fabrics, especially those used for bedlinen.
  4. 4
    Woven cotton or linen fabrics, especially when used for items other than garments.
  5. 5
    A dressmaker's pattern made from inexpensive cloth for fitting.
  6. 6
    Any of several different moths, especially the muslin moth, Diaphora mendica.
  7. 7
    Woman as sex object; prostitute, as in a bit of muslin.

Etymology

From French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo (“Mosul”), that is Mosul in northern Iraq (compare 1875 Knight, Edward H., Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, V2 p1502: "Muslins are so called from Moussol in India."). Doublet of mousseline.

This word in other languages

muselina(Español)mousseline(Français)Musselin(Deutsch)musselina(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmuslin,msulin,mulsin,musiln,muslinn,musllin,muslni,musslin,umslin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of muslin - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

mmuslin1msulin2mulsin2musiln2muslinn1musllin1muslni2musslin1
Edit distance from "muslin"

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 "muslin"?
"muslin" is spelled M-U-S-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌz.lɪn/.
What does "muslin" mean?
As a noun, "muslin" means: Any of several varieties of thin cotton cloth.
What words are commonly confused with "muslin"?
"muslin" is commonly confused with "music", "Mulan", "Malin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "muslin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "muslin" is /ˈmʌz.lɪn/. 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 "muslin"?
From French mousseline, from Italian mussolina, from Mussolo (“Mosul”), that is Mosul in northern Iraq (compare 1875 Knight, Edward H., Knight's American Mechanical Dictionary, V2 p1502: "Muslins are so called from Moussol in India."). Doublet of ... 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.

Using “muslin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-U-S-L-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmʌz.lɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “music” - see the side-by-side comparison. muslin vs music
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list