Machias

name

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

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

The verdict

“Machias” is uncommon English (frequency #98,401 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#98,401
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A river in Maine, United States; in full, Machias River.

Key facts for Machias
PropertyValue
HeadwordMachias
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters7
Frequency rank#98,401
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Machias” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Machias lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Machias is uncommon English at frequency #98,401 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 6 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for Machias in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Malecite-Passamaquoddy word for bad little falls, for a location on the Machias River. The correct English form is Machias, spelled M-A-C-H-I-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A river in Maine, United States; in full, Machias River.
  2. 2
    An inlet in Washington, Maine, United States; a bay on the Gulf of Maine, named after the river, which empties in the bay; in full, Machias Bay.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of Machias Seal Island: an island of Grand Manan archipelago, Atlantic Ocean.
  4. 4
    A town, the county seat of Washington County, Maine, United States.
  5. 5
    A town and census-designated place therein, in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States; named after the river in Maine, where the settlers originated.
  6. 6
    A census-designated place in Snohomish County, Washington, United States; named after the town in Maine, where the founder originated.

Etymology

From Malecite-Passamaquoddy word for bad little falls, for a location on the Machias River.

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 "Machias"?
"Machias" is spelled M-A-C-H-I-A-S.
What does "Machias" mean?
As a proper noun, "Machias" means: A river in Maine, United States; in full, Machias River.
What is the origin of the word "Machias"?
From Malecite-Passamaquoddy word for bad little falls, for a location on the Machias River. 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.

Using “Machias”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-C-H-I-A-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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