myrtle

/ˈmɜːtl̩/

//ˈmɜːtl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“myrtle” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,636. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,636
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Myrtus, native to southern Europe and north Africa.

Corpus desk

Index EN-myrtle · myrtle · English

myrtle · rank #18,636 · 10 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,636
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mx

Nearest frequency peer: Mx (-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 “myrtle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “myrtle” 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).

myrtle vs merle
67% similar
myrtle vs marble
67% similar
myrtle vs morale
67% similar

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

Key facts for myrtle
PropertyValue
Headwordmyrtle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɜːtl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,636
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “myrtle”

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).myrtlelands 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 “Mx” (#18,635), “nemesis” (#18,637), “O'Reilly” (#18,638). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “myrtle” is #18,636. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around myrtle (IPA /ˈmɜːtl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,636 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for myrtle, with forms such as "mmyrtle", "mrytle", and "myrlte". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "merle", "marble", "morale", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French myrte, from Latin myrtus, from Ancient Greek μύρτος (múrtos, “myrtle”). The correct English form is myrtle, spelled M-Y-R-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Myrtus, native to southern Europe and north Africa.
  2. 2
    Cyrilla species.
  3. 3
    A dark green shade that resembles the color of Myrtus leaves.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In the Middle Ages pulverized myrtle leaves were applied to the body as a sexual stimulation.

Etymology

From Old French myrte, from Latin myrtus, from Ancient Greek μύρτος (múrtos, “myrtle”).

This word in other languages

arrayán(Español)myrte(Français)Myrte(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmyrtle
  • mrytle
  • myrlte
  • myrrtle
  • myrtel
  • myrtlle
  • myrttle
  • mytrle
  • myyrtle
  • ymrtle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmyrtle1mrytle2myrlte2myrrtle1myrtel2myrtlle1myrttle1mytrle2
Edit distance from "myrtle"

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 "myrtle"?
"myrtle" is spelled M-Y-R-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɜːtl̩/.
What does "myrtle" mean?
As a noun, "myrtle" means: An evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Myrtus, native to southern Europe and north Africa.
What words are commonly confused with "myrtle"?
"myrtle" is commonly confused with "merle", "marble", "morale". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "myrtle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "myrtle" is /ˈmɜːtl̩/. 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 "myrtle"?
From Old French myrte, from Latin myrtus, from Ancient Greek μύρτος (múrtos, “myrtle”). 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 "myrtle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Minnie#18,628parlor#18,646pebble#18,648Melvin#18,623

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

nemesis10 variantsmixtape10 variantslikeness10 variantsissuance10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list