mafic

/ˈmafɪk/

//ˈmafɪk// adj

"mafic" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mafic” is uncommon English (frequency #76,088 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,088
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.

Key facts for mafic
PropertyValue
Headwordmafic
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmafɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#76,088
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mafic” 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). mafic lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

mafic is uncommon English at frequency #76,088 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmafɪk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.".

mafic has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of magnesium + ferric. The correct English form is mafic, spelled M-A-F-I-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.

Etymology

Blend of magnesium + ferric.

This word in other languages

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 "mafic"?
"mafic" is spelled M-A-F-I-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmafɪk/.
What does "mafic" mean?
As an adjective, "mafic" means: Describing rocks, such as silicate minerals, magmas, and volcanic and intrusive igneous rocks, which contain relatively high concentrations of magnesium and iron.
How do you pronounce "mafic"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mafic" is /ˈmafɪk/. 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 "mafic"?
Blend of magnesium + ferric. 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 “mafic”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-F-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmafɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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