N
The Daily Insight

How do you spell mules?

Author

Robert Guerrero

Updated on March 19, 2026

Noun
  1. hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile.
  2. a slipper that has no fitting around the heel.

Also to know is, what does it mean to be called a mule?

Kids Definition of mule

1 : an animal that is an offspring of a donkey and a horse. 2 : a stubborn person.

Additionally, what is another word for mule? In this page you can discover 16 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for mule, like: donkey, ass, jackass, hinny, army mule, animal, crossbreed, hybrid, jack, slipper and Missouri mule.

Correspondingly, are mules male or female?

A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). A horse has 64 chromosomes, and a donkey has 62. The mule ends up with 63. Mules can be either male or female, but, because of the odd number of chromosomes, they can't reproduce.

Why can't mules reproduce?

They are sterile because they can't make sperm or eggs. They have trouble making sperm or eggs because their chromosomes don't match up well. And, to a lesser extent, because of their chromosome number. A mule gets 32 horse chromosomes from mom and 31 donkey chromosomes from dad for a total of 63 chromosomes.

Related Question Answers

What is a hinny donkey?

A hinny is the result of breeding between a female donkey and a male horse. A hinny is said to have the body of a donkey and the extremities of a horse. Because a donkey mare is smaller than most horses, hinnies are generally smaller and less common than mules.

What are mules used for?

Mules can be used for riding and riding events such as dressage, show jumping, endurance events and western riding events. Mules are particularly suited to driving. They are suitable for farms and smallholdings where they can be used as pack animals or for draught work. Mules do have a great ability to high jump.

Do mules try to mate?

Also, keep in mind it's likely that more mules may be fertile, but we commonly do not attempt to breed mules. Mules and hinnies that have foaled in the past were bred to jacks (male donkeys).

What does money mule mean?

Money muling is a type of money laundering. A money mule is a person who receives money from a third party in their bank account and transfers it to another one or takes it out in cash and gives it to someone else, obtaining a commission for it.

What does mule mean in drinks?

A Moscow mule is a cocktail made with vodka, spicy ginger beer, and lime juice, garnished with a slice or wedge of lime and mint. It is a type of buck, therefore sometimes called a vodka buck. The Moscow mule is popularly served in a copper mug, which takes on the cold temperature of the liquid.

What is the meaning of as stubborn as a mule?

Extremely obstinate, as in He's stubborn as a mule about wearing a suit and tie. This simile evokes the proverbial stubbornness of mules, whose use as draft animals was once so common that the reputation for obstinacy can hardly be as warranted as the term indicates. [ Early 1800s]

What's the opposite of a mule?

Mules always have a donkey father and a horse mother, while the opposite combination (a female mule and male horse) is called a hinny, and it's less common.

Are mules good pets?

Mules are strong animals who can work in all conditions and weather. Often more intelligent than their parents, mules tend to enjoy social interaction. They tend to be gentle, docile creatures, making them great family pets as well as working animals. Mules live longer than horses, on average.

Are mules good for beginners?

As with any equine, various mule characteristics suit various people. If you want a high-quality show animal you need an entirely different animal from the safe, reliable mule suitable for a beginner. Some folks want as much decoration as internal qualities.

Are mules good to ride?

With careful, intelligent minds, mules are better at picking their way over difficult terrain and narrow trails than your average horse. Because of the toughness of their feet and legs, mules suffer fewer soundness problems, a big plus with trail riders.

How long can mules live?

between 35 and 40 years

Can a female mule get pregnant?

A female mule that has estrus cycles and thus, in theory, could carry a fetus, is called a "molly" or "Molly mule", though the term is sometimes used to refer to female mules in general. Pregnancy is rare, but can occasionally occur naturally as well as through embryo transfer.

Do mules need shoes?

Your mule needs shoes to keep their hooves protected and healthy. Just imagine going outside without shoes and having to walk on gravel. This is what your mule is doing when not wearing shoes, but weighing 400 or 600 pounds puts a lot more pressure on their feet. They need those shoes to protect their hooves.

Can a zebra and horse mate?

A zorse is the offspring of a zebra stallion and a horse mare. This cross is also called a zebrula, zebrule, or zebra mule. The rarer reverse pairing is sometimes called a hebra, horbra, zebrinny, zebret, or zebra hinny. Like most other animal hybrids, the zorse is sterile.

Is a burro a mule?

Donkey terms

Burro: A burro is the Spanish word for "donkey". Hinny: A hinny is the result of breeding between a female donkey and a male horse. Jack: A jack is a term for a male donkey. Mule: A mule is the result of breeding between a male donkey and a female horse.

Is mule a real word?

noun. the sterile offspring of a female horse and a male donkey, valued as a work animal, having strong muscles, a body shaped like a horse, and donkeylike long ears, small feet, and sure-footedness. any hybrid between the donkey and the horse. Informal.

What's another name for a donkey?

What is another word for donkey?
mule jackass
burro moke
neddy cuddy
hinny jennet
jenny horse

Where did the word mule come from?

From Middle French mule (“slipper”), from Latin mulleus calceus (“red shoe”), from mullus (“red”).

What are other names for horses?

Synonyms for
  • colt.
  • filly.
  • mare.
  • stallion.
  • foal.
  • nag.
  • plug.
  • pony.

What is another word for carrier?

In this page you can discover 56 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for carrier, like: delivery person, conveyer, estafette, immune carrier, mail-carrier, letter-carrier, courier, bearer, messenger, transporter and shipper.

What is a synonym for meager?

SYNONYMS. inadequate, scanty, scant, paltry, limited, restricted, modest, insufficient, sparse, spare, deficient, negligible, insubstantial, skimpy, short, little, lean, small, slight, slender, poor, miserable, pitiful, puny, miserly, niggardly, beggarly.

Are mules safer than horses?

Overall, mules tend to be healthier, sounder and live longer than horses. This might result from hybrid vigor, the genetic superiority of crossbred animals. Mules are less prone to injuries because they've got a good sense of self-preservation. Mules usually have good, strong feet that don't require shoeing.

Why do horses fall after mating?

Syncope in Horses

This is most likely a glitch in the cardiovascular system. And may lead to cardiac arrest. Some stallions that are gelded late develop this problem as well, which might be related to their heart most of the times. Similarly, fainting after mating with a mare is also attributed to heart problems.

Can mules run as fast as horses?

Horses run faster than mules.

Mules are fast and athletic, but horses are faster. Some mules have a quarter horse or thoroughbred dam, which provides some speed; however, they won't outrun a similarly bred horse.

What's the difference between a mule and a jackass?

A mule is a cross between a horse and donkey. However, it's a cross between a mare (a female horse) and a jack (a male donkey, thus the name jackass).

Are mules alive?

Mules (and other infertile hybrids), despite being obviously living organisms, in the light of this definition are considered inanimate objects.

Can Zonkeys reproduce?

“A zonkey is a cross between a zebra and a donkey. Donkeys are closely related to zebras and both animals belong to the horse family. Zonkeys are very rare”. Sadly the Zonkey is a sterile creature, similar to the Mule and Liger, so it cannot produce offspring of its own.

Will a donkey kill a dog?

In most instances donkeys will confront and chase dogs or coyotes out of the pasture. If the canines do not retreat quickly the donkeys will attack them by rising up on their hind legs and striking with both front feet. A solid blow can injure, kill or at the very least discourage the predator.

Why do donkeys hate coyotes?

They have a natural instinct to run dogs and coyotes out of their territory.” A well-placed kick from an angry donkey--also known as the burro, or ass--is usually enough to drive away any predator, experts say. Ranchers have known this for years.