madder

Name: madder, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“madder” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #47,738 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#47,738
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A herbaceous plant, Rubia tinctorum, native to Asia, cultivated for a red-purple dye (alizarin) obtained from the root.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

madder vs made

67% similar

madder vs maker

67% similar

madder vs Mayer

50% similar

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

Key facts for madder
Property	Value
Headword	madder
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#47,738
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “madder” 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). madder lands here:

#47,738

#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 madder is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)/. Corpus data places it at rank #47,738 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for madder, with forms such as "amdder", "madderr", and "maddre". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "made", "maker", "Mayer", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mader, madere, mædere, from Old English mædere, mæddre, mædre, from Proto-Germanic *madarǭ (compare Swedish måra, Old Norse / Icelandic maðra), from Proto-Indo-European *modʰro-, cognate with Proto-Slavic *modrъ (“blue”), and compare Iri… The correct English form is madder, spelled M-A-D-D-E-R.

Definition

1
A herbaceous plant, Rubia tinctorum, native to Asia, cultivated for a red-purple dye (alizarin) obtained from the root.
2
The root of the plant, used as a medicine or a dye.
3
A dye made from the plant.
4
A deep reddish colour, like that of the dye.

Etymology

From Middle English mader, madere, mædere, from Old English mædere, mæddre, mædre, from Proto-Germanic *madarǭ (compare Swedish måra, Old Norse / Icelandic maðra), from Proto-Indo-European *modʰro-, cognate with Proto-Slavic *modrъ (“blue”), and compare Irish madar (“madder”), Latvian madara (“madder”).

Synonyms

common madderdyer's madder

This word in other languages

garance(Français)Krapp(Deutsch)ruiva(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amdder,madderr,maddre,madedr,mader,mdader,mmadder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of madder - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

Edit distance from "madder"

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 "madder"?

"madder" is spelled M-A-D-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)/.

What does "madder" mean?

As a noun, "madder" means: A herbaceous plant, Rubia tinctorum, native to Asia, cultivated for a red-purple dye (alizarin) obtained from the root.

What words are commonly confused with "madder"?

"madder" is commonly confused with "made", "maker", "Mayer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "madder"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "madder" is /ˈmæd.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "madder"?

From Middle English mader, madere, mædere, from Old English mædere, mæddre, mædre, from Proto-Germanic *madarǭ (compare Swedish måra, Old Norse / Icelandic maðra), from Proto-Indo-European *modʰro-, cognate with Proto-Slavic *modrъ (“blue”), and c... 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 “madder”

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

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