mythos

/ˈmɪθɒs/

//ˈmɪθɒs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mythos” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,987. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,987
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Anything transmitted by word of mouth, such as a fable, legend, narrative, story, or tale (especially a poetic tale).

Corpus desk

Index EN-mythos · mythos · English

mythos · rank #38,987 · 10 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,987
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Myer

Nearest frequency peer: Myer (-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 “mythos”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mythos” 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).

mythos vs myths
83% similar
mythos vs myth
67% similar
mythos vs maths
67% similar

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

Key facts for mythos
PropertyValue
Headwordmythos
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪθɒs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#38,987
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mythos”

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).mythoslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Myer” (#38,986), “NAA” (#38,988), “Najib” (#38,989). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mythos” is #38,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around mythos (IPA /ˈmɪθɒs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,987 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for mythos, with forms such as "mmythos", "mtyhos", and "myhtos". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "myths", "myth", "maths", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin mȳthos (“myth”), from Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “report, tale, story”). Doublet of myth. The plural form mythoi is from Ancient Greek μῦθοι (mûthoi), and the form mythoses from mythos + -es. The correct English form is mythos, spelled M-Y-T-H-O-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anything transmitted by word of mouth, such as a fable, legend, narrative, story, or tale (especially a poetic tale).
  2. 2
    A story or set of stories relevant to or having a significant truth or meaning for a particular culture, religion, society, or other group; a myth, a mythology.
  3. 3
    A set of assumptions or beliefs about something.
  4. 4
    A recurring theme; a motif.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. POLY′MYTHY (S[ubstantive]) in Poetry, a fault in an epic poem, when inſtead of a ſingle mythos, or fable, there is a multiplicity of them.
  2. [T]he critics above named, define in a general manner a mythos as the exposition of a fact, or of a thought, under the historical form—it is true; but yet, under the form stamped upon it by the symbolical genius and language of antiquity, so full of warmth and imagination. At the same time, mythoses have been distinguished into different kinds. The mythos…

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin mȳthos (“myth”), from Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “report, tale, story”). Doublet of myth. The plural form mythoi is from Ancient Greek μῦθοι (mûthoi), and the form mythoses from mythos + -es.

Synonyms

mythus

This word in other languages

Mythos(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmythos
  • mtyhos
  • myhtos
  • mythhos
  • mythoss
  • mythso
  • mytohs
  • mytthos
  • myythos
  • ymthos

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

mmythos1mtyhos2myhtos2mythhos1mythoss1mythso2mytohs2mytthos1
Edit distance from "mythos"

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 "mythos"?
"mythos" is spelled M-Y-T-H-O-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪθɒs/.
What does "mythos" mean?
As a noun, "mythos" means: Anything transmitted by word of mouth, such as a fable, legend, narrative, story, or tale (especially a poetic tale).
What words are commonly confused with "mythos"?
"mythos" is commonly confused with "myths", "myth", "maths". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mythos"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mythos" is /ˈmɪθɒs/. 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 "mythos"?
Borrowed from Late Latin mȳthos (“myth”), from Ancient Greek μῦθος (mûthos, “report, tale, story”). Doublet of myth. The plural form mythoi is from Ancient Greek μῦθοι (mûthoi), and the form mythoses from mythos + -es. 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 "mythos", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mucous#38,982Obamas#38,998misfit#38,970pariah#39,017

Similar misspelling depth

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

Moulton10 variantsobelisk10 variantsMoorish10 variantsoutcrop10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list