mutate

/mjuːˈteɪt/

//mjuːˈteɪt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“mutate” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,532. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,532
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To undergo mutation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mutate · mutate · English

mutate · rank #45,532 · 8 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,532
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH myeloid

Nearest frequency peer: myeloid (+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 “mutate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mutate” 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).

mutate vs mute
67% similar
mutate vs mutt
67% similar
mutate vs mutter
67% similar

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

Key facts for mutate
PropertyValue
Headwordmutate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mjuːˈteɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,532
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mutate”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).mutatelands 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 “myeloid” (#45,533), “Murchison” (#45,530), “naik” (#45,534). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mutate” is #45,532. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around mutate (IPA /mjuːˈteɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #45,532 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mutate, with forms such as "mmutate", "mtuate", and "muatte". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "mute", "mutt", "mutter", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1796; back-formation from mutation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), ultimately from Latin mūtō (“to exchange; to change, to vary”). Doublet of moult. The correct English form is mutate, spelled M-U-T-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To undergo mutation.
  2. 2
    To cause mutation.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The virus has mutated into a more resilient version.

Etymology

First attested in 1796; back-formation from mutation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), ultimately from Latin mūtō (“to exchange; to change, to vary”). Doublet of moult.

This word in other languages

muter(Français)mutieren(Deutsch)mutar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmutate
  • mtuate
  • muatte
  • mutaet
  • mutatte
  • muttae
  • muttate
  • umtate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmutate1mtuate2muatte2mutaet2mutatte1muttae2muttate1umtate2
Edit distance from "mutate"

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 "mutate"?
"mutate" is spelled M-U-T-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mjuːˈteɪt/.
What does "mutate" mean?
As a verb, "mutate" means: To undergo mutation.
What words are commonly confused with "mutate"?
"mutate" is commonly confused with "mute", "mutt", "mutter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mutate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mutate" is /mjuːˈteɪt/. 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 "mutate"?
First attested in 1796; back-formation from mutation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix), ultimately from Latin mūtō (“to exchange; to change, to vary”). Doublet of moult. 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 "mutate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Newsom#45,540nimrod#45,543Nubian#45,548oblast#45,551

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Loudon8 variantspinion8 variantskeener8 variantspreppy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list