mutilate
/ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/
"mutilate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mutilate” is an uncommon English word, ranked #56,305 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #56,305
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mutilate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #56,305 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mutilate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mutilate is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #56,305 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No generated misspelling entries exist for mutilate in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin mutilātus, the perfect passive participle of mutilō (“to mutilate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), itself from mutilus (“maimed”). The correct English form is mutilate, spelled M-U-T-I-L-A-T-E.
Definition
- 1To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.
- 2To destroy beyond recognition.
- 3To render imperfect or defective.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin mutilātus, the perfect passive participle of mutilō (“to mutilate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), itself from mutilus (“maimed”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “mutilate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-U-T-I-L-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/ (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
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.