mussel

/ˈmʌsəl/

//ˈmʌsəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mussel” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,926. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,926
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mussel · mussel · English

mussel · rank #39,926 · 7 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,926
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Murakami

Nearest frequency peer: Murakami (-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 “mussel”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mussel” 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).

mussel vs muster
67% similar
mussel vs muse
67% similar
mussel vs muses
67% similar

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

Key facts for mussel
PropertyValue
Headwordmussel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌsəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#39,926
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mussel”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mussellands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Murakami” (#39,925), “namaste” (#39,927), “moya” (#39,924). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mussel” is #39,926. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mussel (IPA /ˈmʌsəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,926 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mussel, with forms such as "mmussel", "msusel", and "musel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "muster", "muse", "muses", 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 Middle English muscle (“mussel”), from Old English muscle, from Proto-West Germanic *muskulā, from Late Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus (“mussel, muscle”, literally “little mouse”). Doublet of muscle. The correct English form is mussel, spelled M-U-S-S-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.
  2. 2
    Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.
  3. 3
    Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.

Etymology

From Middle English muscle (“mussel”), from Old English muscle, from Proto-West Germanic *muskulā, from Late Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus (“mussel, muscle”, literally “little mouse”). Doublet of muscle.

This word in other languages

mejillón(Español)moule(Français)Muschel(Deutsch)mexilhão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmussel
  • msusel
  • musel
  • musesl
  • mussell
  • mussle
  • umssel

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mussel - 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.

mmussel1msusel2musel1musesl2mussell1mussle2umssel2
Edit distance from "mussel"

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 "mussel"?
"mussel" is spelled M-U-S-S-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌsəl/.
What does "mussel" mean?
As a noun, "mussel" means: Any of several groups of bivalve shellfish with elongated, asymmetrical shells.
What words are commonly confused with "mussel"?
"mussel" is commonly confused with "muster", "muse", "muses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mussel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mussel" is /ˈmʌsəl/. 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 "mussel"?
From Middle English muscle (“mussel”), from Old English muscle, from Proto-West Germanic *muskulā, from Late Latin muscula, from Latin mūsculus (“mussel, muscle”, literally “little mouse”). Doublet of muscle. 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 "mussel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Obispo#39,937Meehan#39,910lowkey#39,902Kristy#39,888

Similar misspelling depth

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

NTSB7 variantsJammer7 variantsredux7 variantsRhoda7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list