Magic or magick?
magic is a noun meaning “The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult…”; magick is a noun meaning “Actual magic or sorcery in fiction or in e.g. Wicca, neopaganism or modern…”. In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) magic is about 145 times as common as magick.
What is the difference between magic and magick?
| magic | magick | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, adjective, verb | noun, adjective |
| Meaning | The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order… The supernatural forces which are drawn on in such a ritual Having supernatural talents, properties or qualities attributed to magic | Actual magic or sorcery in fiction or in e.g. Wicca, neopaganism or modern witchcraft, as opposed to illusion or stage magic Relating to actual magic or sorcery in fiction or in e.g. Wicca, neopaganism or modern witchcraft, as opposed to illusion or stage magic |
| Example | “My magic will help you find true love,” said the witch as she looked for the right herbs in her collection | none recorded |
| Forms | magics | magicks |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/ /ˈmæd͡ʒɪk/ | not recorded |
| In writing | 58 times per million words | about once in every 3 million words |
Sources: magic and magick in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of magic and magick
magic
- 1
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
“My magic will help you find true love,” said the witch as she looked for the right herbs in her collection
- 2
Having supernatural talents, properties or qualities attributed to magic
a magic wand
- 3
To produce, transform (something), (as if) by magic
- 4
Initialism of magnetism-based interaction capture
- 5
The supernatural forces which are drawn on in such a ritual
- 6
Producing extraordinary results, as though through the use of magic
a magic moment
- 7
The ability to cast a magic spell
I learned a new magic after rescuing the tree fairy
- 8
Pertaining to conjuring tricks or illusions performed for entertainment etc
a magic show
magick
- 1
Actual magic or sorcery in fiction or in e.g. Wicca, neopaganism or modern witchcraft, as opposed to illusion or stage magic
- 2
Relating to actual magic or sorcery in fiction or in e.g. Wicca, neopaganism or modern witchcraft, as opposed to illusion or stage magic
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, magic or magick?
magic appears 58 times per million words; magick about once in every 3 million words.
magic 58 times per million wordsmagick about once in every 3 million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How many people search magic vs magick?
“magic vs magick” is searched about 720 times a month on Google and 30 on Bing in the United States. Google counts close variants of a query together (“magick vs magic”, “magic or magick”).
Sources: Google Ads keyword data through DataForSEO and Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, the average month from September 2025 to August 2026.