mystery

/ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/

//ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi// noun

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

"mystery" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mystery” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,317
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mystery · mystery · English

mystery · rank #3,317 · 12 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,317
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mistakes

Nearest frequency peer: mistakes (-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 “mystery”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mystery” 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).

mystery vs master
71% similar
mystery vs misery
71% similar
mystery vs mister
71% similar

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

Key facts for mystery
PropertyValue
Headwordmystery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,317
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mystery”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).mysterylands 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 “mistakes” (#3,316), “networks” (#3,318), “minds” (#3,315). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mystery” is #3,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around mystery (IPA /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,317 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for mystery, with forms such as "mmystery", "msytery", and "mysetry". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "master", "misery", "mister", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mysterie, from Anglo-Norman misterie (Old French mistere), from Latin mysterium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “a mystery, a secret, a secret rite”), from μύστης (mústēs, “initiated one”), from μυέω (muéō, “to initiate”), from… The correct English form is mystery, spelled M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.
  2. 2
    Someone or something with an obscure or puzzling nature.
  3. 3
    An account, story, book, film, or play, often with the theme of crime or murder, with a surprise ending that explains all the strange events that have occurred.
  4. 4
    A mystery play.
  5. 5
    A secret or mystical meaning.
  6. 6
    A religious truth not understandable by the application of human reason alone (without divine aid).
  7. 7
    A sacrament.
  8. 8
    A secret religious celebration, admission to which was usually through initiation.
  9. 9
    A particular event or series of events in the life of Christ.
  10. 10
    A craft, art or trade; specifically a guild of craftsmen.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The truth behind the events remains a mystery.
  2. The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff.

Etymology

From Middle English mysterie, from Anglo-Norman misterie (Old French mistere), from Latin mysterium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “a mystery, a secret, a secret rite”), from μύστης (mústēs, “initiated one”), from μυέω (muéō, “to initiate”), from μύω (múō, “to shut”). Displaced native Old English ġerȳne.

Synonyms

enigmaroun

This word in other languages

misterio(Español)mystère(Français)Geheimnis(Deutsch)mistério(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmystery
  • msytery
  • mysetry
  • mysstery
  • mysterry
  • mysteryy
  • mysteyr
  • mystrey
  • mysttery
  • mytsery
  • myystery
  • ymstery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmystery1msytery2mysetry2mysstery1mysterry1mysteryy1mysteyr2mystrey2
Edit distance from "mystery"

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 "mystery"?
"mystery" is spelled M-Y-S-T-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/.
What does "mystery" mean?
As a noun, "mystery" means: Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.
What words are commonly confused with "mystery"?
"mystery" is commonly confused with "master", "misery", "mister". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mystery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mystery" is /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/. 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 "mystery"?
From Middle English mysterie, from Anglo-Norman misterie (Old French mistere), from Latin mysterium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “a mystery, a secret, a secret rite”), from μύστης (mústēs, “initiated one”), from μυέω (muéō, “to initia... 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 "mystery", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

penalty#3,322protest#3,327formula#3,301unusual#3,343

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

mistakes12 variantsinformed12 variantsencourage12 variantsdiscussed12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list