machete
/məˈʃɛ.ti/
"machete" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“machete” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,894 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,894
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | machete |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /məˈʃɛ.ti/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #23,894 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “machete” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for machete is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məˈʃɛ.ti/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,894 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for machete, with forms such as "amchete", "macchete", and "macehte". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "machine", "Michele", "Macbeth", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish machete, diminutive of macho (“sledgehammer”), from Latin mattea, possibly from mactare (“slaughter in sacrifice”); cognate with Old French machier, French massue, English mace. The correct English form is machete, spelled M-A-C-H-E-T-E.
Definition
- 1A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.
- 2A small stringed instrument from Madeira, Portugal, having a double bulged body, traditionally of wood, with a small rib and four metallic strings, sometimes attached by wooden pegs.
Etymology
From Spanish machete, diminutive of macho (“sledgehammer”), from Latin mattea, possibly from mactare (“slaughter in sacrifice”); cognate with Old French machier, French massue, English mace.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amchete,macchete,macehte,macheet,machette,machhete,machtee,mahcete,mcahete,mmachete
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of machete - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “machete”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-C-H-E-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /məˈʃɛ.ti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “machine” - see the side-by-side comparison. machete vs machine
- 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.