mutagen

/ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/

//ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mutagen” is uncommon English (frequency #71,721 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,721
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any agent or substance that can cause genetic mutation.

Key facts for mutagen
PropertyValue
Headwordmutagen
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/
Letters7
Frequency rank#71,721
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mutagen” 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). mutagen lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mutagen is uncommon English at frequency #71,721 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Any agent or substance that can cause genetic mutation.".

mutagen doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From muta- + -gen. The correct English form is mutagen, spelled M-U-T-A-G-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any agent or substance that can cause genetic mutation.

Etymology

From muta- + -gen.

This word in other languages

mutagène(Français)Mutagen(Deutsch)

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 "mutagen"?
"mutagen" is spelled M-U-T-A-G-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/.
What does "mutagen" mean?
As a noun, "mutagen" means: Any agent or substance that can cause genetic mutation.
How do you pronounce "mutagen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mutagen" is /ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/. 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 "mutagen"?
From muta- + -gen. 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 “mutagen”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-U-T-A-G-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmjuːtəd͡ʒn̩/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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