macaw
/məˈkɑ/noun
macaw is spelled M-A-C-A-W: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, macaw means “Any of various parrots of the genera Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Orthopsittaca, Primolius and Diopsittaca of Central and South America…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of macaw is macaws.
How many letters and syllables are in macaw?
| Letters | 5: M-A-C-A-W |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 64,400th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is macaw?
Macaw appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 64,400th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce macaw?
- UK /məˈkɔː/
- US /məˈkɑ/
- US /məˈkɔ/
Macaw has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-macaw.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with macaw?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as macaw from its last stressed vowel (/ɑ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of macaw
- macaws plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does macaw mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of various parrots of the genera Ara, Anodorhynchus, Cyanopsitta, Orthopsittaca, Primolius and Diopsittaca of Central and South America, including the largest parrots and characterized by long sabre-shaped tails, curved powerful bills, and usually brilliant plumage.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Macaw in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense various parrots:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | ara |
| German | Ara |
| Portuguese | arara |
| Spanish | guacamaya, guacamayo, guara, lapa, papagayo, paraba |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does macaw come from?
From Portuguese macau, of unknown origin. English sources point to Nheengatu makawana, which is only attested from the 20th century onwards.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).