magic
/ˈmad͡ʒɪk/
"magic" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“magic” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,796 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #1,796
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | magic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #1,796 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “magic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for magic is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,796 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 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 magic, with forms such as "amgic", "magci", and "maggic". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mic", "mai", "main", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English magik, magyk, from Old French magique (noun and adjective), from Latin magicus (adjective), magica (noun use of feminine form of magicus), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós, “magical”), from μάγος (mágos, “magus”). Ultimately from Old … The correct English form is magic, spelled M-A-G-I-C.
Definition
- 1The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
- 2The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
- 3The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
- 4The application of rituals or actions, especially those based on occult knowledge, to subdue or manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces in order to have some benefit from them.
- 5Something producing successful and remarkable results, especially when not fully understood; an enchanting quality; exceptional skill.
- 6Something producing successful and remarkable results, especially when not fully understood; an enchanting quality; exceptional skill.
- 7The art or practice of performing conjuring tricks and illusions to give the appearance of supernatural phenomena or powers.
- 8The art or practice of performing conjuring tricks and illusions to give the appearance of supernatural phenomena or powers.
Etymology
From Middle English magik, magyk, from Old French magique (noun and adjective), from Latin magicus (adjective), magica (noun use of feminine form of magicus), from Ancient Greek μαγικός (magikós, “magical”), from μάγος (mágos, “magus”). Ultimately from Old Iranian, probably derived from Proto-Indo-European *meh₂gʰ- (“to be able to, to help; power, sorcerer”). Displaced native Old English ġealdor (survived in Middle English galder), and dwimmer.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amgic,magci,maggic,magicc,maigc,mgaic,mmagic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of magic - 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.
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
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Using “magic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-G-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “mic” - see the side-by-side comparison. magic vs mic
- 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.