magic
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Letters
5 characters
Language
English
word origin
Source
Wiktionary
open dictionary
Access
Free
no sign-up needed
Detailed reference entry for the English word "magic", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "magic" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "magic" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
magic is aEnglishnoun. It means: 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. Pronounced /ˈmad͡ʒɪk/. It ranks #1,796 in English word frequency. Often confused with mic and mai.
| 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) |
Frequency rank visualization
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for magic is 5 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 7 documented wrong-spelling variants for magic, with forms such as "amgic", "magci", and "maggic". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mic", "mai", "main", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
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 … Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is magic, spelled M-A-G-I-C, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
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
Relative frequency of common misspelling types for magic
Misspelling Variants of "magic"
Frequency rank: #1,796 in English
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "magic"?
What does "magic" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "magic"?
How do you pronounce "magic"?
What is the origin of the word "magic"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter M in our English index: