myth

/mɪθ/

//mɪθ// noun

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

"myth" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“myth” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,269 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,269
frequency rank, English
4
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

myth vs myths
80% similar
myth vs mythic
67% similar
myth vs mythos
67% similar

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

Key facts for myth
PropertyValue
Headwordmyth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɪθ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#6,269
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “myth” 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). myth 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 myth is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɪθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,269 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for myth, with forms such as "mmyth", "mtyh", and "myht". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "myths", "mythic", "mythos", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “word, humour, companion, speech, account, rumour, fable”). Attested in English since 1830. Doublet of mythos. The correct English form is myth, spelled M-Y-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a god, a hero, the origin of the world or of a people, etc.
  2. 2
    Such stories as a genre.
  3. 3
    A commonly-held but false belief, a common misconception; a fictitious or imaginary person or thing; a popular conception about a real person or event which exaggerates or idealizes reality.
  4. 4
    A person or thing held in excessive or quasi-religious awe or admiration based on popular legend
  5. 5
    A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable.
  6. 6
    An invented story, theory, or concept.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “word, humour, companion, speech, account, rumour, fable”). Attested in English since 1830. Doublet of mythos.

Antonyms

antimyth

This word in other languages

mito(Español)mythe(Français)Mythos(Deutsch)mito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mmyth,mtyh,myht,mythh,mytth,myyth,ymth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmyth1mtyh2myht2mythh1mytth1myyth1ymth2
Edit distance from "myth"

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 "myth"?
"myth" is spelled M-Y-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪθ/.
What does "myth" mean?
As a noun, "myth" means: A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; a sacred narrative regarding a ...
What words are commonly confused with "myth"?
"myth" is commonly confused with "myths", "mythic", "mythos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "myth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "myth" is /mɪθ/. 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 "myth"?
From Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “word, humour, companion, speech, account, rumour, fable”). Attested in English since 1830. Doublet of mythos. 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 “myth”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-Y-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɪθ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “myths” - see the side-by-side comparison. myth vs myths
  • 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