macula

/ˈmækjʊlə/

//ˈmækjʊlə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“macula” is uncommon English (frequency #78,799 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,799
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An oval yellow spot near the center of the retina of the human eye, histologically defined as having two or more layers of ganglion cells, responsible for detailed central vision.

Corpus desk

Index EN-macula · macula · English

macula · rank #78,799 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,799
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH lumpkin

Nearest frequency peer: lumpkin (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “macula”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “macula” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for macula
PropertyValue
Headwordmacula
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmækjʊlə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#78,799
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “macula” in English

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).maculafalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “lumpkin” (#78,797), “Mahajan” (#78,801), “mailroom” (#78,803). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “macula” is #78,799. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

macula is uncommon English at frequency #78,799 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmækjʊlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for macula in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English macula (“spot on the skin or in the eye”), borrowed from Latin macula (“spot, stain”). Doublet of macchia and macule. The correct English form is macula, spelled M-A-C-U-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An oval yellow spot near the center of the retina of the human eye, histologically defined as having two or more layers of ganglion cells, responsible for detailed central vision.
  2. 2
    A small chamber of the inner ear of certain vertebrates filled with endolymph and containing an otolith.
  3. 3
    A spot, as on the skin, or on the surface of the sun or of some other luminous orb.
  4. 4
    A rather large spot or blotch of color.
  5. 5
    In planetary geology, an unusually dark area on the surface of a planet or moon.

Etymology

From Middle English macula (“spot on the skin or in the eye”), borrowed from Latin macula (“spot, stain”). Doublet of macchia and macule.

This word in other languages

macula(Français)mácula(Português)

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 "macula"?
"macula" is spelled M-A-C-U-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmækjʊlə/.
What does "macula" mean?
As a noun, "macula" means: An oval yellow spot near the center of the retina of the human eye, histologically defined as having two or more layers of ganglion cells, responsible for detailed central vision.
How do you pronounce "macula"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "macula" is /ˈmækjʊlə/. 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 "macula"?
From Middle English macula (“spot on the skin or in the eye”), borrowed from Latin macula (“spot, stain”). Doublet of macchia and macule. 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 "macula", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lowing#78,792Levert#78,780lavage#78,773kowtow#78,761

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list