mad

/ˈmæd/

//ˈmæd// adj

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

"mad" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mad” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,868 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,868
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mad vs my
33% similar
mad vs ME
0% similar
mad vs Mr
0% similar

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

Key facts for mad
PropertyValue
Headwordmad
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmæd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,868
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mad” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for mad is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæd/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,868 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for mad in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "my", "ME", "Mr", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mad, madde, madd, medd, from Old English ġemǣd, ġemǣded (“enraged”), past participle of ġemǣdan, *mǣdan (“to make insane or foolish”), from Proto-Germanic *maidijaną (“to change; damage; cripple; injure; make mad”), from Proto-Germanic *… The correct English form is mad, spelled M-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.
  2. 2
    Angry, annoyed.
  3. 3
    Used litotically to indicate satisfaction or approval.
  4. 4
    Bizarre; incredible.
  5. 5
    Wildly confused or excited.
  6. 6
    Extremely foolish or unwise; irrational; imprudent.
  7. 7
    Extremely enthusiastic about; crazy about; infatuated with; overcome with desire for.
  8. 8
    Abnormally ferocious or furious; or, rabid, affected with rabies.
  9. 9
    Intensifier, signifying abundance or high quality of a thing; very, much or many.
  10. 10
    Having impaired polarity.

Etymology

From Middle English mad, madde, madd, medd, from Old English ġemǣd, ġemǣded (“enraged”), past participle of ġemǣdan, *mǣdan (“to make insane or foolish”), from Proto-Germanic *maidijaną (“to change; damage; cripple; injure; make mad”), from Proto-Germanic *maidaz ("weak; crippled"; compare Old English gemād (“silly, mad”), Old High German gimeit (“foolish, crazy”), literary German gemeit (“mad, insane”), Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (gamaiþs, “crippled”)), from Proto-Indo-European *mey- ("to change"; compare Old Irish máel (“bald, dull”), Old Lithuanian ap-maitinti (“to wound”), Sanskrit मेथति (méthati, “he hurts, comes to blows”)).

Synonyms

wickedmightykindahelluvhella

This word in other languages

loco(Español)fou(Français)wahnsinnig(Deutsch)louco(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 "mad"?
"mad" is spelled M-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæd/.
What does "mad" mean?
As an adjective, "mad" means: Insane; crazy, mentally deranged.
What words are commonly confused with "mad"?
"mad" is commonly confused with "my", "ME", "Mr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mad"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mad" is /ˈmæd/. 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 "mad"?
From Middle English mad, madde, madd, medd, from Old English ġemǣd, ġemǣded (“enraged”), past participle of ġemǣdan, *mǣdan (“to make insane or foolish”), from Proto-Germanic *maidijaną (“to change; damage; cripple; injure; make mad”), from Proto-... 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.

Using “mad”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmæd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “my” - see the side-by-side comparison. mad vs my
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list