Which to use
“magic” is a noun and “magical” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,796
- “magic” frequency rank
- #4,963
- “magical” frequency rank
- 6759
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | magic | magical |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them. | Of, relating to, or by means of magic. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set magic and magical apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
magic and magical form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “magic” sits inside “magical” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
magic is recorded at frequency rank #1,796, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/. magical is at rank #4,963, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6759, this pair ranks #510,097 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "magic" and "magical" be used interchangeably?
Remembering magic vs magical
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “magic”; for an adjective, it's “magical”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “magic” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable