Madison

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

/ˈmædɪsən/

//ˈmædɪsən// name

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

The verdict

“Madison” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,436 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#5,436
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An English surname originating as a matronymic; (US politics) used specifically of James Madison (1751–1836), a Founding Father and fourth president of the United States.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Madison vs mason

57% similar

Madison vs Marion

71% similar

Madison vs Manson

71% similar

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

Key facts for Madison
Property	Value
Headword	Madison
Language	English
Part of speech	Proper noun
IPA	/ˈmædɪsən/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#5,436
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	7
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Madison” 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). Madison lands here:

#5,436

#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 Madison is 7 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmædɪsən/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,436 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 30 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Madison, with forms such as "amdison", "maddison", and "madiosn". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "mason", "Marion", "Manson", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Usually derived from Mathieson (Matthew + -son), occasionally from Middle English Maddy (“Maud”) + -son. In the movie Splash, its use as a given name derives from Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. The correct English form is Madison, spelled M-A-D-I-S-O-N.

Definition

1
An English surname originating as a matronymic; (US politics) used specifically of James Madison (1751–1836), a Founding Father and fourth president of the United States.
2
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
3
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
4
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
5
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
6
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
7
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
8
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
9
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
10
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
11
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
12
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
13
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
14
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
15
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
16
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
17
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
18
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
19
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
20
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
21
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
22
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
23
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
24
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
25
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
26
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
27
A locale in the United States; all named for James Madison unless otherwise indicated.
28
A river in Wyoming and Montana, United States; named for James Madison.
29
A male given name transferred from the surname.
30
A female given name transferred from the surname, popular since 1984 when it appeared as the name of a mermaid in the film Splash.

Etymology

Usually derived from Mathieson (Matthew + -son), occasionally from Middle English Maddy (“Maud”) + -son. In the movie Splash, its use as a given name derives from Manhattan’s Madison Avenue.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amdison,maddison,madiosn,madisno,madisonn,madisson,madsion,maidson,mdaison,mmadison

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Madison - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "Madison"

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 "Madison"?

"Madison" is spelled M-A-D-I-S-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmædɪsən/.

What does "Madison" mean?

As a proper noun, "Madison" means: An English surname originating as a matronymic; (US politics) used specifically of James Madison (1751–1836), a Founding Father and fourth president of the United States.

What words are commonly confused with "Madison"?

"Madison" is commonly confused with "mason", "Marion", "Manson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "Madison"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Madison" is /ˈmædɪsən/. 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 "Madison"?

Usually derived from Mathieson (Matthew + -son), occasionally from Middle English Maddy (“Maud”) + -son. In the movie Splash, its use as a given name derives from Manhattan’s Madison Avenue. 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 “Madison”

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

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