# main vs mil

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### main
*adjective · IPA /meɪn/ · frequency rank #574*
Of chief or leading importance; prime, principal.

### mil
*noun · IPA /mɪl/ · frequency rank #10,579*
An angular mil, a unit of angular measurement equal to ¹⁄₆₄₀₀ of a complete circle. At 1000 metres one mil subtends about one metre (0.98 m). Also ¹⁄₆₀₀₀ and ¹⁄₆₃₀₀ are used in other countries.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/main-vs-mil