# myth

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɪθ/ · frequency rank #6,269

## Definitions
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. Such stories as a genre.
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. A person or thing held in excessive or quasi-religious awe or admiration based on popular legend
5. A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **myths** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/myth-vs-myths)
- **mythic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/myth-vs-mythic)
- **mythos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/myth-vs-mythos)
- **my** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/my-vs-myth)
- **MT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mt-vs-myth)
- **MH** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mh-vs-myth)
- **met** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/met-vs-myth)
- **mph** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mph-vs-myth)
- **MTV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mtv-vs-myth)
- **mat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mat-vs-myth)
- **mit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mit-vs-myth)
- **meh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/meh-vs-myth)
- **mah** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mah-vs-myth)
- **mot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mot-vs-myth)
- **MTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mta-vs-myth)
- **Mya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mya-vs-myth)
- **MST** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mst-vs-myth)
- **MRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mrt-vs-myth)
- **muh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/muh-vs-myth)
- **moh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/moh-vs-myth)

## Common misspellings (7)
`mmyth`, `mtyh`, `myht`, `mythh`, `mytth`, `myyth`, `ymth`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/myth