# machete

> English word · Noun · IPA /məˈʃɛ.ti/ · frequency rank #23,894

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

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **machine** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/machete-vs-machine)
- **Michele** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/machete-vs-michele)
- **Macbeth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/macbeth-vs-machete)

## Common misspellings (10)
`amchete`, `macchete`, `macehte`, `macheet`, `machette`, `machhete`, `machtee`, `mahcete`, `mcahete`, `mmachete`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/machete