# mal vs marl

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mal
*noun · IPA /mæl/ · frequency rank #13,953*
illness, affliction.

### marl
*noun · IPA /mɑːl/ · frequency rank #49,479*
A mixed earthy substance, consisting of carbonate of lime, clay, and possibly sand, in very variable proportions, and accordingly designated as calcareous, clayey, or sandy.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mal-vs-marl