Maclean

name

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

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

The verdict

“Maclean” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,128. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,128
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maclean · Maclean · English

Maclean · rank #25,128 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,128
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH macaroni

Nearest frequency peer: macaroni (-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 “Maclean”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Maclean” 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).

Maclean vs McLean
71% similar
Maclean vs Malian
71% similar
Maclean vs Macleod
71% similar

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

Key facts for Maclean
PropertyValue
HeadwordMaclean
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters7
Frequency rank#25,128
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Maclean”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “macaroni” (#25,127), “manganese” (#25,130), “mantis” (#25,131). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Maclean” is #25,128. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around Maclean, aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #25,128 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 Maclean, with forms such as "amclean", "macclean", and "macelan". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "McLean", "Malian", "Macleod", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish Gaelic MacGilleEathain, patronymic form of a personal name meaning "servant of (Saint) John". The correct English form is Maclean, spelled M-A-C-L-E-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.
  2. 2
    A town in the Northern Rivers region of northern New South Wales, Australia.

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic MacGilleEathain, patronymic form of a personal name meaning "servant of (Saint) John".

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amclean
  • macclean
  • macelan
  • maclaen
  • macleann
  • maclena
  • macllean
  • malcean
  • mcalean
  • mmaclean

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Maclean - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amclean2macclean1macelan2maclaen2macleann1maclena2macllean1malcean2
Edit distance from "Maclean"

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 "Maclean"?
"Maclean" is spelled M-A-C-L-E-A-N.
What does "Maclean" mean?
As a proper noun, "Maclean" means: A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic.
What words are commonly confused with "Maclean"?
"Maclean" is commonly confused with "McLean", "Malian", "Macleod". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "Maclean"?
From Scottish Gaelic MacGilleEathain, patronymic form of a personal name meaning "servant of (Saint) John". 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 "Maclean", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Merrick#25,135Latvian#25,116paddock#25,161Horatio#25,093

Similar misspelling depth

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

occupant10 variantshectare10 variantsporridge10 variantsGestapo10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list