# mussel

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmʌsəl/ · frequency rank #39,926

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

## Easily confused with
- **muster** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mussel-vs-muster)
- **muse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muse-vs-mussel)
- **muses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muses-vs-mussel)
- **missed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/missed-vs-mussel)
- **masses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/masses-vs-mussel)
- **Misses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/misses-vs-mussel)
- **Massey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massey-vs-mussel)
- **Muriel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muriel-vs-mussel)
- **mousse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mousse-vs-mussel)
- **musket** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/musket-vs-mussel)
- **massed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massed-vs-mussel)
- **Messer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/messer-vs-mussel)
- **morsel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/morsel-vs-mussel)
- **muscle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muscle-vs-mussel)

## Common misspellings (7)
`mmussel`, `msusel`, `musel`, `musesl`, `mussell`, `mussle`, `umssel`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mussel