macron

/ˈmækɹɒn/

//ˈmækɹɒn// noun

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

"macron" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“macron” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,875. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,875
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (◌̄) placed over a letter, usually to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long.

Corpus desk

Index EN-macron · macron · English

macron · rank #30,875 · 9 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,875
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH MacFarlane

Nearest frequency peer: MacFarlane (-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 “macron”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “macron” 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).

macron vs mason
67% similar
macron vs micro
67% similar
macron vs moron
67% similar

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

Key facts for macron
PropertyValue
Headwordmacron
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmækɹɒn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,875
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “macron”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).macronlands 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 “MacFarlane” (#30,874), “marketer” (#30,877), “Marko” (#30,878). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “macron” is #30,875. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around macron (IPA /ˈmækɹɒn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,875 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (◌̄) placed over a letter, usually to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for macron, with forms such as "amcron", "maccron", and "macorn". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "mason", "micro", "moron", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”) (English macro-). The correct English form is macron, spelled M-A-C-R-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (◌̄) placed over a letter, usually to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We say such words belong to a Long family, because of the long macron hat the vowels wear. Like the other twin o's, one hat is enough for both, for these twins are always found together.
  2. A macron is a mark placed above a long vowel to mark its quantity.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”) (English macro-).

This word in other languages

macrón(Español)macron(Français)Makron(Deutsch)macro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amcron
  • maccron
  • macorn
  • macrno
  • macronn
  • macrron
  • marcon
  • mcaron
  • mmacron

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amcron2maccron1macorn2macrno2macronn1macrron1marcon2mcaron2
Edit distance from "macron"

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 "macron"?
"macron" is spelled M-A-C-R-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmækɹɒn/.
What does "macron" mean?
As a noun, "macron" means: A short, straight, horizontal diacritical mark (◌̄) placed over a letter, usually to indicate that the pronunciation of a vowel is long.
What words are commonly confused with "macron"?
"macron" is commonly confused with "mason", "micro", "moron". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "macron"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "macron" is /ˈmækɹɒn/. 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 "macron"?
From Ancient Greek μακρόν (makrón), neuter form of μακρός (makrós, “long”) (English macro-). 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 "macron", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

looped#30,869McNeil#30,882Leiden#30,860Muscat#30,891

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

nitric9 variantspaging9 variantsParnell9 variantsPenang9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list