Macbeth

/məkˈbɛθ/

//məkˈbɛθ// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“Macbeth” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,128. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,128
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A William Shakespeare play, about the Scottish royal family.

Corpus desk

Index EN-macbeth · Macbeth · English

Macbeth · rank #19,128 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #19,128
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ludwig

Nearest frequency peer: Ludwig (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Macbeth”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Macbeth” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Macbeth vs machete
57% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Macbeth
PropertyValue
HeadwordMacbeth
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/məkˈbɛθ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#19,128
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Macbeth”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Ludwig” (#19,127), “LR” (#19,126), “mamma” (#19,130). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Macbeth” is #19,128. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Macbeth (IPA /məkˈbɛθ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #19,128 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Macbeth, with forms such as "amcbeth", "mabceth", and "macbbeth". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "machete", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Anglicization of Middle Irish Mac Bethad, equivalent to the modern mac (“son of”) bheatha (“life”). The correct English form is Macbeth, spelled M-A-C-B-E-T-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A William Shakespeare play, about the Scottish royal family.
  2. 2
    The title character of said play.
  3. 3
    An 11th-century king of Scotland.
  4. 4
    A surname.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how Macbeth appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. On a Tuesday in April 2017, Janet Macbeth composed an all-office email. “My story,” read the subject line in Nishnaabemwin, the Ojibwe language. “Hello everyone,” the email continued in Nishnaabemwin. “My name is Janet.”

Etymology

Anglicization of Middle Irish Mac Bethad, equivalent to the modern mac (“son of”) bheatha (“life”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amcbeth
  • mabceth
  • macbbeth
  • macbeht
  • macbethh
  • macbetth
  • macbteh
  • maccbeth
  • macebth
  • mcabeth
  • mmacbeth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Macbeth - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amcbeth2mabceth2macbbeth1macbeht2macbethh1macbetth1macbteh2maccbeth1
Edit distance from "Macbeth"

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 "Macbeth"?
"Macbeth" is spelled M-A-C-B-E-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /məkˈbɛθ/.
What does "Macbeth" mean?
As a proper noun, "Macbeth" means: A William Shakespeare play, about the Scottish royal family.
What words are commonly confused with "Macbeth"?
"Macbeth" is commonly confused with "machete". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Macbeth"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Macbeth" is /məkˈbɛθ/. 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 "Macbeth"?
Anglicization of Middle Irish Mac Bethad, equivalent to the modern mac (“son of”) bheatha (“life”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Macbeth", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

indexes#19,111Hubbard#19,107grinder#19,099giraffe#19,096

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Hermione11 variantsoblivion11 variantsPenelope11 variantspervert11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list