# malice vs malign

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### malice
*noun · IPA /ˈmælɪs/ · frequency rank #18,617*
Intention to harm or deprive in an illegal or immoral way. Desire to take pleasure in another's misfortune.

### malign
*adjective · IPA /məˈlaɪn/ · frequency rank #47,740*
Evil or malignant in disposition, nature, intent or influence.

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