MacMillan
/məkˈmɪlən/
"macmillan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“MacMillan” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,753 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #13,753
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname of Scottish origin.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | MacMillan |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /məkˈmɪlən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #13,753 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “MacMillan” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for MacMillan is 9 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /məkˈmɪlən/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,753 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A surname of Scottish origin.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for MacMillan, with forms such as "amcmillan", "maccmillan", and "macimllan". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "McMillan", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish Gaelic. For many people so surnamed today (worldwide), their name can be traced back to the Clan MacMillan. The word roots are covered at McMillan. The correct English form is MacMillan, spelled M-A-C-M-I-L-L-A-N.
Definition
- 1A surname of Scottish origin.
Etymology
From Scottish Gaelic. For many people so surnamed today (worldwide), their name can be traced back to the Clan MacMillan. The word roots are covered at McMillan.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amcmillan,maccmillan,macimllan,macmilaln,macmilan,macmillann,macmillna,macmlilan,macmmillan,mamcillan,mcamillan,mmacmillan
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of MacMillan - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "MacMillan"?
What does "MacMillan" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "MacMillan"?
How do you pronounce "MacMillan"?
What is the origin of the word "MacMillan"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “MacMillan”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-C-M-I-L-L-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /məkˈmɪlən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “McMillan” - see the side-by-side comparison. MacMillan vs McMillan
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.