Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mulch

/mʌlt͡ʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.90 in modern English

Syllables: mulch
IPA: /mʌlt͡ʃ/

12

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any material used to cover the top layer of soil to protect, insulate, or decorate it, or to discourage weeds or retain moisture.

Countable; Uncountable

verb

To apply mulch.

verb

To turn into mulch.

Example Sentences

"An organic mulch is a mulch made of natural substances such as leaves or grass clippings."
"An interim report by investigators from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch found extensive evidence of crushed leaf mulch on the railhead at many sites on the approach to Salisbury Tunnel Junction."
"Mulch your vegetable garden to retain moisture and keep weeds down."
"I decided to mulch the grass clippings."

Etymology

Probably from Middle English melsche, molsh (“soft”), from Old English melsċ, milisċ (“mellow; mild; sweet”, literally “honeyed”), probably from Proto-Germanic *mili (“honey”). Compare Icelandic milska (“a honeyed beverage”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: melsche, melsċ, *mili

Usage

Inflected Forms

mulches (plural) mulsh (alternative, obsolete) mulches (present, singular) mulching (participle, present) mulched (participle, past) mulched (past)

Derived Forms

mulchy mulchable mulcher nonmulched unmulched

Phrases

inorganic mulch living mulch mulch depth organic mulch mulching mower

Frequently Paired Words

compost humus

Rhymes With

gulch ulch culch hulch

Questions

How do you pronounce mulch?: The recorded pronunciation is /mʌlt͡ʃ/.
What does mulch mean?: Any material used to cover the top layer of soil to protect, insulate, or decorate it, or to discourage weeds or retain moisture.
Where does mulch come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce mulch

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mulch”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/mʌlt͡ʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mulch”.
Repeat and practice — Say “mulch” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.