mackintosh

/ˈmækɪntɒʃ/

//ˈmækɪntɒʃ// noun

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

"mackintosh" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mackintosh” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,644. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,644
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A waterproof long coat made of rubberized cloth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mackintosh · mackintosh · English

mackintosh · rank #31,644 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,644
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mackie

Nearest frequency peer: Mackie (-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 “mackintosh”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mackintosh” 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).

mackintosh vs McIntosh
60% similar
mackintosh vs macintosh
90% similar

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

Key facts for mackintosh
PropertyValue
Headwordmackintosh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmækɪntɒʃ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,644
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mackintosh”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).mackintoshlands 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 “Mackie” (#31,643), “Magdalene” (#31,645), “Macaulay” (#31,642). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mackintosh” is #31,644. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around mackintosh (IPA /ˈmækɪntɒʃ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,644 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for mackintosh, with forms such as "amckintosh", "macckintosh", and "macikntosh". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "McIntosh", "macintosh", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), who patented a type of rubberized cloth in 1823. Former trademark. The letter k is a later addition. The correct English form is mackintosh, spelled M-A-C-K-I-N-T-O-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A waterproof long coat made of rubberized cloth.
  2. 2
    Any waterproof coat or raincoat.
  3. 3
    Waterproof rubberized cloth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. c. 1924, A.A. Milne, "Happiness", in When We Were Very Young John had great big waterproof boots on; John had a great big waterproof hat; John had a great big waterproof mackintosh -- And that (Said John) is that.
  2. The screeching of brakes, the monotonous blare of motor horns, the clip-clip of shoes on slippery pavements, the rustling of wet mackintoshes were all part of the great metropolis.

Etymology

From Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), who patented a type of rubberized cloth in 1823. Former trademark. The letter k is a later addition.

Synonyms

macmackraincoat

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amckintosh
  • macckintosh
  • macikntosh
  • mackinntosh
  • mackinotsh
  • mackintohs
  • mackintoshh
  • mackintossh
  • mackintsoh
  • mackinttosh
  • mackitnosh
  • mackkintosh
  • macknitosh
  • makcintosh
  • mcakintosh
  • mmackintosh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mackintosh - 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.

amckintosh2macckintosh1macikntosh2mackinntosh1mackinotsh2mackintohs2mackintoshh1mackintossh1
Edit distance from "mackintosh"

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 "mackintosh"?
"mackintosh" is spelled M-A-C-K-I-N-T-O-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmækɪntɒʃ/.
What does "mackintosh" mean?
As a noun, "mackintosh" means: A waterproof long coat made of rubberized cloth.
What words are commonly confused with "mackintosh"?
"mackintosh" is commonly confused with "McIntosh", "macintosh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mackintosh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mackintosh" is /ˈmækɪntɒʃ/. 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 "mackintosh"?
From Charles Macintosh (1766–1843), who patented a type of rubberized cloth in 1823. Former trademark. The letter k is a later addition. 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 "mackintosh", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mistresses#31,656myocardial#31,666irradiated#31,619overstated#31,688

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

pomegranate16 variantspromiscuous16 variantsFranciscan16 variantsdetachable16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list