mustang

/ˈmʌsˌtæŋ/

//ˈmʌsˌtæŋ// noun

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

"mustang" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mustang” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,385. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,385
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mustang · mustang · English

mustang · rank #13,385 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,385
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mosaic

Nearest frequency peer: mosaic (-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 “mustang”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mustang” 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).

mustang vs mutant
71% similar
mustang vs mustard
71% similar
mustang vs musing
71% similar

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

Key facts for mustang
PropertyValue
Headwordmustang
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌsˌtæŋ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,385
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mustang”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “mosaic” (#13,384), “MW” (#13,386), “MK” (#13,383). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mustang” is #13,385. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around mustang (IPA /ˈmʌsˌtæŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,385 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for mustang, with forms such as "mmustang", "msutang", and "musatng". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "mutant", "mustard", "musing", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”). The correct English form is mustang, spelled M-U-S-T-A-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.
  2. 2
    A merchant marine who joined the U.S. Navy as a commissioned officer during the American Civil War.
  3. 3
    A commissioned officer who started military service as an enlisted person.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The mustang pony, the invariable companion of the inhabitant of the prairie, whether he is rich or poor, is a little creature, apparently narrow-chested, and small across the loins.
  2. Having ridden a distance of two or three miles, Garey slackened his pace, and put the mustang to a slow walk.

Etymology

Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”).

This word in other languages

Mustang(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmustang
  • msutang
  • musatng
  • musstang
  • mustagn
  • mustangg
  • mustanng
  • mustnag
  • musttang
  • mutsang
  • umstang

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmustang1msutang2musatng2musstang1mustagn2mustangg1mustanng1mustnag2
Edit distance from "mustang"

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 "mustang"?
"mustang" is spelled M-U-S-T-A-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌsˌtæŋ/.
What does "mustang" mean?
As a noun, "mustang" means: A small, hardy, naturalized (feral) horse of the North American west.
What words are commonly confused with "mustang"?
"mustang" is commonly confused with "mutant", "mustard", "musing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mustang"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mustang" is /ˈmʌsˌtæŋ/. 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 "mustang"?
Borrowed from Mexican Spanish mestengo, from Old Spanish mesteño (“feral animal”) or mestengo (“feral animal”). 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 "mustang", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

memoirs#13,381Nichols#13,389liaison#13,378Judaism#13,372

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

pineapple11 variantspoisoned11 variantspotassium11 variantsRomanian11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list