murex

\my.ʁɛks\

/\my.ʁɛks\/ noun

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

The verdict

“murex” is uncommon French (frequency #81,363 among 202,672 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,363
frequency rank, French
202,672
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Gastéropode hérissé de pointes, autrefois utilisé pour produire de la pourpre.

Key facts for murex
PropertyValue
Headwordmurex
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\my.ʁɛks\
Letters5
Frequency rank#81,363
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “murex” sits in French 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). murex lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

murex is uncommon French at frequency #81,363 among 202,672 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \my.ʁɛks\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Gastéropode hérissé de pointes, autrefois utilisé pour produire de la pourpre.".

No misspelling variants are generated for murex in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is murex, spelled M-U-R-E-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gastéropode hérissé de pointes, autrefois utilisé pour produire de la pourpre.

Synonyms

pourpier

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "murex"?
"murex" is spelled M-U-R-E-X. The IPA pronunciation is \my.ʁɛks\.
What does "murex" mean?
As a noun, "murex" means: Gastéropode hérissé de pointes, autrefois utilisé pour produire de la pourpre.
How do you pronounce "murex"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "murex" is \my.ʁɛks\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "murex" come from?
"murex" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “murex”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-U-R-E-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \my.ʁɛks\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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