mulato

[muˈlat̪o]

/[muˈlat̪o]/ adj

The verdict

“mulato” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #49,811 in Spanish word frequency and used as an adjective.

#49,811
frequency rank, Spanish
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Aplícase a la persona que ha nacido de madre negra y padre blanco, o al contrario.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mulato vs multa
67% similar
mulato vs muleta
67% similar
mulato vs multado
71% similar

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

Key facts for mulato
PropertyValue
Headwordmulato
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[muˈlat̪o]
Letters6
Frequency rank#49,811
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mulato” sits in Spanish 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). mulato 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 Spanish entry for mulato is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [muˈlat̪o]. Corpus data places it at rank #49,811 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for mulato, with forms such as "mluato", "mmulato", and "mualto". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "multa", "muleta", "multado", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is mulato, spelled M-U-L-A-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Aplícase a la persona que ha nacido de madre negra y padre blanco, o al contrario.
  2. 2
    De color moreno.
  3. 3
    Dícese de lo que es moreno en su línea.
  4. 4
    Variante obsoleta de muleto.
  5. 5
    Mineral de plata de color oscuro o verde cobrizo.
  6. 6
    Especie de ave paseriforme de la familia Mimidae endémica de México. Es un ave canora de unos 25 cm de longitud. Los sexos son parecidos, con el plumaje gris azuloso oscuro y opaco; las partes ventrales más oscuras. Alrededor del ojo rojo, hay una máscara de plumas negras que se extiende desde la base del pico hasta las mejillas. El pico y las patas también son negros. Se distingue de su pariente cercano sureño, el mulato pechiblanco (Melanotis hypoleucus) por la ausencia de plumas blancas y la presencia de plumas erizadas en la garganta. El canto es similar al del cenzontle aliblanco (Mimus polyglottos), por lo que estas aves llegan a ser capturadas y domesticadas.
  7. 7
    (Pollalesta discolor) Árbol colombiano de hasta 8 m de altura, ramificado en la parte media superior, con tallos grisáceos y un poco rugosos, hojas alternadas y lanceoladas, y flores pequeñas agrupadas en cabezuelas con forma de parasol.
  8. 8
    Palo marimba.

Synonyms

mulato comúnmulato azul

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: mluato,mmulato,mualto,mulaot,mulatto,mullato,multao,umlato

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mulato - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

mluato2mmulato1mualto2mulaot2mulatto1mullato1multao2umlato2
Edit distance from "mulato"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mulato"?
"mulato" is spelled M-U-L-A-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is [muˈlat̪o].
What does "mulato" mean?
As an adjective, "mulato" means: Aplícase a la persona que ha nacido de madre negra y padre blanco, o al contrario.
What words are commonly confused with "mulato"?
"mulato" is commonly confused with "multa", "muleta", "multado". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mulato"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mulato" is [muˈlat̪o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mulato" come from?
"mulato" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “mulato”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-U-L-A-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [muˈlat̪o] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “multa” - see the side-by-side comparison. mulato vs multa
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish 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