Are you making s’mores with a ‘marshmellow’ or a ‘marshmallow’? We’ll tackle that below, plus teach you how to use the word in a sentence correctly. You’ll also learn exactly what the word means and gain the confidence you need to use it correctly in your writing and in everyday life.
The short answer is that the correct way to spell the word is ‘marshmallow.’ It’s never correct to spell it ‘marshmellow.’
We’ve just revealed that the correct spelling of the word is ‘marshmallow.’ Contrary to popular belief, the word ‘marshmellow’ isn’t actually a recognized word in the English language.
So, which is correct?
The correct spelling is ‘marshmallow.’ You might be tempted to use ‘marshmellow’ because it seems like it would be a compound word. Marsh + mellow = Marshmellow, right?
Wrong.
Remember, the English language is a bit tricky. So, what you think might be correct might actually be incorrect. Some words just don’t follow the same rules. That’s because the English language is made up of tons of different languages, and all of those languages follow different rules.
The English language is filled with confusing words and phrases. Some similar words and phrases that might trip you up are resonate, fiery, and etcetera (etc.).
People often misspell the word ‘resonate,’ which means “to produce or exhibit resonance” or “to have a repetitive pattern that resembles resonance.” Some people spell it ‘resignate,’ but that’s incorrect.
Fiery is another often misspelled word in the English language. Some people mistakenly believe it’s spelled like ‘fire.’ But nope. You’d actually switch the letters around (i.e., make the ‘I’ and ‘e’ switch places).
Etcetera (etc.) is difficult for several reasons. The abbreviation is often hard for people to remember, and the spelling of the word in its extended form is pretty confusing, too.
The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘marshmallow’ is: “a pink-flowered European perennial herb (Althea officinalis) of the mallow family that is naturalized in the eastern U.S. and has flowers, leaves, and roots used in herbal remedies.”
It’s also defined as “a sweet white confection usually in the form of a spread or small spongy cylindrical pieces now usually made from corn syrup, sugar, albumen, and gelatin but formerly from the marshmallow’s root.
The first known use of the word ‘marshmallow’ was before the 12th century, and it meant the same thing it means today.
When learning new words in the English language, it helps to know what the plural form of the word is, just in case you need to use it.
The word ‘marshmallow’ follows the standard rule of pluralization for English words. The rule is to add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of a word to make it plural.
Here are a few examples:
When it comes to ‘marshmallow,’ it follows the same rule. Take a look:
Just remember that when changing the word to plural, you still have to make sure your subject agrees with your verb.
Now, let’s take a look at how to use both forms in a sentence.
Now that you know the definition let’s see how to use it correctly in a sentence.
Take a look at some examples of how to do that in singular form:
Now, let’s see some examples of how to do it in plural form:
If you can remember that the marshmallow comes from the ‘mallow’ plant, it might be easier to remember how to spell it.
Remember, it has nothing to do with the word ‘mellow.’
If you find yourself stuck on something, pop back over and get a refresher by browsing our library of articles dedicated to explaining confusing words and phrases.
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