myself

/maɪˈsɛlf/

//maɪˈsɛlf// pron

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

The verdict

“myself” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #493 in English word frequency and used as a pronoun.

#493
frequency rank, English
6
letters
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject.

Key facts for myself
PropertyValue
Headwordmyself
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechPronoun
IPA/maɪˈsɛlf/
Letters6
Frequency rank#493
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “myself” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for myself is 6 letters long, classified as a pronoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /maɪˈsɛlf/. Corpus data places it at rank #493 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for myself, with forms such as "mmyself", "msyelf", and "myeslf". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English myself, meself, from Old English mē selfum and similar phrases, equivalent to me + self, later partly reinterpreted as my + self / -self. Cognate with Scots mysel, mysell (“myself”), West Frisian mysels (“myself”), Dutch mijzelf (“myself… The correct English form is myself, spelled M-Y-S-E-L-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject.
  2. 2
    Personally, for my part; used in apposition to I, sometimes for simple emphasis and sometimes with implicit exclusion of any others performing the activity described.
  3. 3
    In my normal state of body or mind.
  4. 4
    Me, as the object of a verb or preposition without a reflexive trigger. Sometimes used for intensifying the pronoun of oneself.
  5. 5
    I (as the subject of a verb).
  6. 6
    my name is...

Etymology

From Middle English myself, meself, from Old English mē selfum and similar phrases, equivalent to me + self, later partly reinterpreted as my + self / -self. Cognate with Scots mysel, mysell (“myself”), West Frisian mysels (“myself”), Dutch mijzelf (“myself”), German mich selbst, mir selbst (“myself”), Norwegian Bokmål meg selv (“myself”).

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmyself,msyelf,myeslf,mysefl,myselff,mysellf,myslef,mysself,myyself,ymself

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmyself1msyelf2myeslf2mysefl2myselff1mysellf1myslef2mysself1
Edit distance from "myself"

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 "myself"?
"myself" is spelled M-Y-S-E-L-F. The IPA pronunciation is /maɪˈsɛlf/.
What does "myself" mean?
As a pronoun, "myself" means: Me, as direct or indirect object the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition, when the speaker is also the subject.
What are common misspellings of "myself"?
Common misspellings include "mmyself", "msyelf", "myeslf", "mysefl", "myselff". The correct spelling is "myself".
How do you pronounce "myself"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "myself" is /maɪˈsɛlf/. 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 "myself"?
From Middle English myself, meself, from Old English mē selfum and similar phrases, equivalent to me + self, later partly reinterpreted as my + self / -self. Cognate with Scots mysel, mysell (“myself”), West Frisian mysels (“myself”), Dutch mijzel... 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.

Using “myself”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-Y-S-E-L-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /maɪˈsɛlf/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list