# mara vs marais

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mara
*noun · IPA /ˈmɑːɹə/ · frequency rank #16,072*
A nightmare; a spectre or wraith-like creature in Germanic and particularly Scandinavian folklore; a female demon who torments people in sleep by crouching on their chests or stomachs, or by causing terrifying visions.

### marais
*noun · frequency rank #41,753*
A marsh; a marshy area, one intermittently covered with water, particularly in Louisiana, or in other French-speaking areas.

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