mutilate

/ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/

//ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt// verb

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

"mutilate" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mutilate” is uncommon English (frequency #56,305 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#56,305
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mutilate · mutilate · English

mutilate · rank #56,305 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #56,305
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH multicellular

Nearest frequency peer: multicellular (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “mutilate”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mutilate” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mutilate
PropertyValue
Headwordmutilate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#56,305
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mutilate” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mutilatefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “multicellular” (#56,303), “mycelium” (#56,307), “multibillion” (#56,302). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mutilate” is #56,305. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mutilate is uncommon English at frequency #56,305 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

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

  1. 1
    To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.
  2. 2
    To destroy beyond recognition.
  3. 3
    To render imperfect or defective.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. mutilated currency
  2. Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again.

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”).

Synonyms

maimmangle

This word in other languages

mutiler(Français)verstümmeln(Deutsch)mutilar(Português)

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 "mutilate"?
"mutilate" is spelled M-U-T-I-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/.
What does "mutilate" mean?
As a verb, "mutilate" means: To physically harm as to impair use, notably by cutting off or otherwise disabling a vital part, such as a limb.
How do you pronounce "mutilate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mutilate" is /ˈmjuː.tɪˌleɪt/. 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 "mutilate"?
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”). 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 "mutilate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mycelium#56,307milkweed#56,285odometer#56,333massager#56,269

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list