magpie

/ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/

//ˈmæɡˌpaɪ// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"magpie" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“magpie” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,907. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,907
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.

Corpus desk

Index EN-magpie · magpie · English

magpie · rank #32,907 · 8 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,907
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maoist

Nearest frequency peer: Maoist (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “magpie”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “magpie” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

magpie vs Marie
50% similar
magpie vs maple
67% similar
magpie vs Mamie
50% similar

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

Key facts for magpie
PropertyValue
Headwordmagpie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#32,907
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “magpie”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).magpielands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Maoist” (#32,908), “Luo” (#32,905), “masjid” (#32,909). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “magpie” is #32,907. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around magpie (IPA /ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,907 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for magpie, with forms such as "amgpie", "maggpie", and "magipe". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "Marie", "maple", "Mamie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old English agu … The correct English form is magpie, spelled M-A-G-P-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
  2. 2
    A superficially similar Australian bird, Gymnorhina tibicen, in the family Artamidae.
  3. 3
    Someone who displays a magpie-like quality such as hoarding or stealing objects.
  4. 4
    A fan or member of Newcastle United F.C.
  5. 5
    The third circle on a target, between the inner and outer.
  6. 6
    A halfpenny.
  7. 7
    A pattern resembling the pied plumage of a magpie.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how magpie appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Not only is Mr. Booker a voracious magpie (who does not always acknowledge the sources of his ideas), but he also turns out to be an annoyingly biased and didactic one.
  2. Kitty and I were engaged. The next day I met those accursed “magpie” Jhampanies at the back of Jakko, and, moved by some passing sentiment of pity, stopped to tell Mrs. Wessington everything.

Etymology

From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old English agu (“magpie”) and Middle English aguster (“magpie”), whence English haggister.

This word in other languages

urraca(Español)pie(Français)Elster(Deutsch)gralha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amgpie
  • maggpie
  • magipe
  • magpei
  • magppie
  • mapgie
  • mgapie
  • mmagpie

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of magpie - 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.

amgpie2maggpie1magipe2magpei2magppie1mapgie2mgapie2mmagpie1
Edit distance from "magpie"

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 "magpie"?
"magpie" is spelled M-A-G-P-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/.
What does "magpie" mean?
As a noun, "magpie" means: One of several kinds of bird in the family Corvidae, especially Pica pica.
What words are commonly confused with "magpie"?
"magpie" is commonly confused with "Marie", "maple", "Mamie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "magpie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "magpie" is /ˈmæɡˌpaɪ/. 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 "magpie"?
From Mag, a nickname for Margaret that was used to denote a chatterer, + archaic pie (“magpie”), from Middle English pie, pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peyk- (“woodpecker, magpie”). Displaced native Old En... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "magpie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Maoist#32,908masjid#32,909Mendez#32,918Kinney#32,884

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

mulch8 variantsnance8 variantsjuarez8 variantsorator8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list