muster

/ˈmʌs.tə/

//ˈmʌs.tə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“muster” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,757 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,757
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gathering.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

muster vs mute
67% similar
muster vs muted
67% similar
muster vs musty
67% similar

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

Key facts for muster
PropertyValue
Headwordmuster
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌs.tə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,757
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “muster” 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). muster 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 muster is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmʌs.tə/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,757 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 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 muster, with forms such as "mmuster", "msuter", and "musetr". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mute", "muted", "musty", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English musteren, borrowed from Anglo-Norman mostrer, Middle French monstrer, moustrer (whence the noun monstre, which gave the English noun), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show”), from moneō (“to admonish”). Cognate with French montrer (“to show”), I… The correct English form is muster, spelled M-U-S-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gathering.
  2. 2
    A gathering.
  3. 3
    A gathering.
  4. 4
    A gathering.
  5. 5
    Showing.
  6. 6
    Showing.
  7. 7
    Showing.
  8. 8
    Showing.

Etymology

From Middle English musteren, borrowed from Anglo-Norman mostrer, Middle French monstrer, moustrer (whence the noun monstre, which gave the English noun), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show”), from moneō (“to admonish”). Cognate with French montrer (“to show”), Italian mostrare (“to show”), Spanish mostrar (“to show”). See also monster.

Synonyms

reviewparademilitary parade

This word in other languages

muestra(Español)modèle(Français)Versammlung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmuster,msuter,musetr,musster,musterr,mustre,mustter,mutser,umster

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmuster1msuter2musetr2musster1musterr1mustre2mustter1mutser2
Edit distance from "muster"

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 "muster"?
"muster" is spelled M-U-S-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌs.tə/.
What does "muster" mean?
As a noun, "muster" means: A gathering.
What words are commonly confused with "muster"?
"muster" is commonly confused with "mute", "muted", "musty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "muster"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "muster" is /ˈmʌs.tə/. 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 "muster"?
From Middle English musteren, borrowed from Anglo-Norman mostrer, Middle French monstrer, moustrer (whence the noun monstre, which gave the English noun), from Latin mōnstrō (“to show”), from moneō (“to admonish”). Cognate with French montrer (“to... 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 “muster”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-U-S-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmʌs.tə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mute” - see the side-by-side comparison. muster vs mute
  • 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