machete

/məˈʃɛ.ti/

//məˈʃɛ.ti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“machete” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,894. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,894
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-machete · machete · English

machete · rank #23,894 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,894
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lon

Nearest frequency peer: Lon (-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 “machete”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “machete” 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).

machete vs machine
71% similar
machete vs Michele
57% similar
machete vs Macbeth
57% similar

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

Key facts for machete
PropertyValue
Headwordmachete
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈʃɛ.ti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,894
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “machete”

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).machetelands 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 “Lon” (#23,893), “Mallory” (#23,895), “lollipop” (#23,892). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “machete” is #23,894. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around machete (IPA /məˈʃɛ.ti/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,894 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.
  2. 2
    A 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: (all sometimes or regionally synonymous) bolo, golok, panga, parang, sundang
  2. It breaks loose one rope at a time, haphazardly, tossing the Filipinos up into the air. A boy with a machete cuts the one remaining line, which pops up and lashes him across the face.

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

machete(Español)machette(Français)Machete(Deutsch)facão(Português)

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.

amchete2macchete1macehte2macheet2machette1machhete1machtee2mahcete2
Edit distance from "machete"

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 "machete"?
"machete" is spelled M-A-C-H-E-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈʃɛ.ti/.
What does "machete" mean?
As a noun, "machete" means: A sword-like tool used for cutting large plants with a chopping motion, or used as a weapon.
What words are commonly confused with "machete"?
"machete" is commonly confused with "machine", "Michele", "Macbeth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "machete"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "machete" is /məˈʃɛ.ti/. 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 "machete"?
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. 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 "machete", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mallory#23,895kindred#23,884Kessler#23,883juniper#23,880

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

lollipop10 variantsJehovah10 variantsnameless10 variantsincline10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list