magus

/ˈmeɪɡəs/

//ˈmeɪɡəs// noun

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

The verdict

“magus” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,600. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,600
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A magician; (derogatory) a conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster.

Corpus desk

Index EN-magus · magus · English

magus · rank #46,600 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,600
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH magnanimous

Nearest frequency peer: magnanimous (-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 “magus”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “magus” 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).

magus vs Mau
40% similar
magus vs MGS
0% similar
magus vs mass
60% similar

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

Key facts for magus
PropertyValue
Headwordmagus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmeɪɡəs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,600
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “magus”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).maguslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “magnanimous” (#46,599), “Maasai” (#46,598), “Manchurian” (#46,602). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “magus” is #46,600. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around magus (IPA /ˈmeɪɡəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,600 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for magus, with forms such as "amgus", "maggus", and "magsu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Mau", "MGS", "mass", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin magus, from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος for details). Doublet of mage. The correct English form is magus, spelled M-A-G-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A magician; (derogatory) a conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster.
  2. 2
    A Zoroastrian priest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the middle of the fifth century, Empedocles testified to the vitality of these maguses, who were capable of commanding the winds and of bringing the dead back from Hades and who presented themselves, not as mortals, but as gods.
  2. It’s from our venerable maguses Gominik Halvor and his son. They’ve cast the runes for our enterprise.

Etymology

From Latin magus, from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος for details). Doublet of mage.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amgus
  • maggus
  • magsu
  • maguss
  • maugs
  • mgaus
  • mmagus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amgus2maggus1magsu2maguss1maugs2mgaus2mmagus1
Edit distance from "magus"

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 "magus"?
"magus" is spelled M-A-G-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmeɪɡəs/.
What does "magus" mean?
As a noun, "magus" means: A magician; (derogatory) a conjurer or sorcerer, especially one who is a charlatan or trickster.
What words are commonly confused with "magus"?
"magus" is commonly confused with "Mau", "MGS", "mass". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "magus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "magus" is /ˈmeɪɡəs/. 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 "magus"?
From Latin magus, from Ancient Greek μάγος (mágos, “magician”), from Μάγος (Mágos, “Magian”), of an indeterminate Old Iranian origin (see Μάγος for details). Doublet of mage. 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 "magus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list