must've

/ˈmʌstəv/

//ˈmʌstəv// contraction

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

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

The verdict

“must've” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,224. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,224
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Contraction of must + have.

Corpus desk

Index EN-must-ve · must've · English

must've · rank #15,224 · 10 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,224
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 36,575
  • PHOTO-FINISH musk

Nearest frequency peer: musk (-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 “must've”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “must've” 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 May 6, 2026
Key facts for must've
PropertyValue
Headwordmust've
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechContraction
IPA/ˈmʌstəv/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,224
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “must've” 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). must've 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 10 spelling variants around must've (IPA /ˈmʌstəv/), acontraction. Corpus frequency is #15,224 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Contraction of must + have.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for must've, with forms such as "mmust've", "msut've", and "mus'tve". 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. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is must've, spelled M-U-S-T-'-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Contraction of must + have.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmust've
  • msut've
  • mus'tve
  • musst've
  • must'ev
  • must'vve
  • mustt've
  • mustv'e
  • muts've
  • umst've

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmust've1msut've2mus'tve2musst've1must'ev2must'vve1mustt've1mustv'e2
Edit distance from "must've"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "must've"?
"must've" is spelled M-U-S-T-'-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌstəv/.
What does "must've" mean?
As a contraction, "must've" means: Contraction of must + have.
What are common misspellings of "must've"?
Common misspellings include "mmust've", "msut've", "mus'tve", "musst've", "must'ev". The correct spelling is "must've".
How do you pronounce "must've"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "must've" is /ˈmʌstəv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "must've" come from?
"must've" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "must've", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Murdoch#15,222mindful#15,219McLaren#15,217malware#15,216

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Lorenzo10 variantsKristen10 variantsQuentin10 variantsradiant10 variants
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