mace

/meɪs/

//meɪs// noun

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

"mace" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mace” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,879. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,879
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A heavy fighting club.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mace · mace · English

mace · rank #18,879 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,879
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH lux

Nearest frequency peer: lux (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mace”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mace” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

mace vs ME
0% similar
mace vs MC
0% similar
mace vs may
50% similar

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

Key facts for mace
PropertyValue
Headwordmace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/meɪs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#18,879
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mace” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).macelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “lux” (#18,878), “Maher” (#18,880), “lunchtime” (#18,877). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mace (IPA /meɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,879 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mace, with forms such as "amce", "macce", and "maec". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ME", "MC", "may", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mace, borrowed from Old French mace, mache, from Vulgar Latin *mattia, *mattea, matia, (compare Italian mazza, Spanish maza), probably from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō (“cutting tool, hoe”). The correct English form is mace, spelled M-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A heavy fighting club.
  2. 2
    A ceremonial form of this weapon.
  3. 3
    A long baton used by some drum majors to keep time and lead a marching band. If this baton is referred to as a mace, by convention it has a ceremonial often decorative head, which, if of metal, usually is hollow and sometimes intricately worked.
  4. 4
    An officer who carries a mace as a token of authority.
  5. 5
    A knobbed mallet used by curriers to make leather supple when dressing it.
  6. 6
    A billiard cue.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Mace is an ancient weapon, formerly much used by cavalry of all nations, and likewise by ecclesiastics, who in consequence of their tenures, frequently took the field, but were by a canon of the church forbidden to wield the sword.
  2. I am a king that find thee; and I know 'Tis not the balm, the sceptre, and the ball, The sword, the mace, the crown imperial, The intertissued robe of gold and pearl

Etymology

From Middle English mace, borrowed from Old French mace, mache, from Vulgar Latin *mattia, *mattea, matia, (compare Italian mazza, Spanish maza), probably from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō (“cutting tool, hoe”).

This word in other languages

maza(Español)masse(Français)Streitkolben(Deutsch)maça(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amce
  • macce
  • maec
  • mcae
  • mmace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mace - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amce2macce1maec2mcae2mmace1
Edit distance from "mace"

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 "mace"?
"mace" is spelled M-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /meɪs/.
What does "mace" mean?
As a noun, "mace" means: A heavy fighting club.
What words are commonly confused with "mace"?
"mace" is commonly confused with "ME", "MC", "may". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mace" is /meɪs/. 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 "mace"?
From Middle English mace, borrowed from Old French mace, mache, from Vulgar Latin *mattia, *mattea, matia, (compare Italian mazza, Spanish maza), probably from Proto-West Germanic *mattjō (“cutting tool, hoe”). 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 "mace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lulu#18,876limo#18,875mane#18,883kiwi#18,870

Similar misspelling depth

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

Gucci5 variantsGras5 variantsgemma5 variantsrags5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "mace". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mace" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ME". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #18,879 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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