MacGuffin
/məˈɡʌf.ɪn/
"macguffin" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“MacGuffin” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | MacGuffin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /məˈɡʌf.ɪn/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “MacGuffin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for MacGuffin is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məˈɡʌf.ɪn/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for MacGuffin, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Used by Alfred Hitchcock, as an arbitrary Scottish surname. The actual name comes from Ulster: Mc- (“son of”) + Irish dubh (“black”) + Irish Fionn (literally “fairheaded”). See also Wikipedia's MacGuffin § History and use. The correct English form is MacGuffin, spelled M-A-C-G-U-F-F-I-N.
Definition
- 1A plot element or other device used to catch the audience's attention and maintain suspense, but whose exact nature has fairly little influence over the storyline.
Etymology
Used by Alfred Hitchcock, as an arbitrary Scottish surname. The actual name comes from Ulster: Mc- (“son of”) + Irish dubh (“black”) + Irish Fionn (literally “fairheaded”). See also Wikipedia's MacGuffin § History and use.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “MacGuffin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-C-G-U-F-F-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /məˈɡʌf.ɪn/ (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.