macaque

/məˈkæk/

//məˈkæk// noun

"macaque" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“macaque” is an uncommon English word, ranked #57,537 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#57,537
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca.

Key facts for macaque
PropertyValue
Headwordmacaque
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈkæk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#57,537
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “macaque” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). macaque lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for macaque is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məˈkæk/. Corpus data places it at rank #57,537 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Any of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for macaque, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from French macaque, from Portuguese macaco, of uncertain origin (see macaco for more). Doublet of macaco. The correct English form is macaque, spelled M-A-C-A-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French macaque, from Portuguese macaco, of uncertain origin (see macaco for more). Doublet of macaco.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "macaque"?
"macaque" is spelled M-A-C-A-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈkæk/.
What does "macaque" mean?
As a noun, "macaque" means: Any of a group of Old World monkeys of the genus Macaca.
How do you pronounce "macaque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "macaque" is /məˈkæk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "macaque"?
Unadapted borrowing from French macaque, from Portuguese macaco, of uncertain origin (see macaco for more). Doublet of macaco. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “macaque”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-C-A-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /məˈkæk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list