mutton

/ˈmʌt(ə)n/

//ˈmʌt(ə)n// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mutton” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,634. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,634
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The meat of sheep used as food; especially, that of adults.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mutton · mutton · English

mutton · rank #28,634 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,634
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Myra

Nearest frequency peer: Myra (+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 “mutton”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mutton” 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).

mutton vs mutt
67% similar
mutton vs motto
67% similar
mutton vs motion
67% similar

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

Key facts for mutton
PropertyValue
Headwordmutton
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmʌt(ə)n/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,634
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mutton”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).muttonlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Myra” (#28,635), “Neill” (#28,636), “mun” (#28,631). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mutton” is #28,634. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around mutton (IPA /ˈmʌt(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,634 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for mutton, with forms such as "mmutton", "mtuton", and "muton". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "mutt", "motto", "motion", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English motoun, moton, from Old French mouton (“sheep”), from Vulgar Latin moltō, from Gaulish *multon-, from Proto-Celtic *moltos (“ram, wether”). Doublet of mouton. The correct English form is mutton, spelled M-U-T-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The meat of sheep used as food; especially, that of adults.
  2. 2
    The meat of a goat, urial, or other caprine.
  3. 3
    A sheep.
  4. 4
    Em, a unit of measurement equal to the height of the type in use.
  5. 5
    A prostitute.
  6. 6
    An old Anglo-French gold coin impressed with the image of a lamb.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Mutton, eaten with caraway seed, is eaten as an aphrodisiac among Arabs.
  2. This prejudice against goat mutton is founded upon ignorance rather than experience. The most ill-smelling “billy” of the worst possible type is made the standard of goat flesh for the whole goat family.

Etymology

From Middle English motoun, moton, from Old French mouton (“sheep”), from Vulgar Latin moltō, from Gaulish *multon-, from Proto-Celtic *moltos (“ram, wether”). Doublet of mouton.

This word in other languages

cordero(Español)mouton(Français)Schaffleisch(Deutsch)carneiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmutton
  • mtuton
  • muton
  • mutotn
  • muttno
  • muttonn
  • umtton

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mutton - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmutton1mtuton2muton1mutotn2muttno2muttonn1umtton2
Edit distance from "mutton"

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 "mutton"?
"mutton" is spelled M-U-T-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmʌt(ə)n/.
What does "mutton" mean?
As a noun, "mutton" means: The meat of sheep used as food; especially, that of adults.
What words are commonly confused with "mutton"?
"mutton" is commonly confused with "mutt", "motto", "motion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mutton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mutton" is /ˈmʌt(ə)n/. 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 "mutton"?
From Middle English motoun, moton, from Old French mouton (“sheep”), from Vulgar Latin moltō, from Gaulish *multon-, from Proto-Celtic *moltos (“ram, wether”). Doublet of mouton. 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 "mutton", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Newell#28,641matron#28,620Marsha#28,618marlin#28,616

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

meaty7 variantsLohan7 variantslingo7 variantsparma7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list