Maher

/ˈmɑː(ɹ)/

//ˈmɑː(ɹ)// name

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

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

The verdict

“Maher” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,880. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,880
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 surname from Irish.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maher · Maher · English

Maher · rank #18,880 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,880
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mace

Nearest frequency peer: mace (-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 “Maher”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Maher” 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).

Maher vs mar
40% similar
Maher vs mer
40% similar
Maher vs make
40% similar

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

Key facts for Maher
PropertyValue
HeadwordMaher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈmɑː(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#18,880
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Maher”

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).Maherlands 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 “mace” (#18,879), “Malawi” (#18,881), “lux” (#18,878). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Maher” is #18,880. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Maher (IPA /ˈmɑː(ɹ)/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #18,880 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A surname from Irish.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Maher, with forms such as "amher", "maehr", and "maherr". 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, "mar", "mer", "make", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”), a personal name meaning "fine", "majestic". The correct English form is Maher, spelled M-A-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from Irish.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. After resigning from the WMF as CEO, Katherine Maher became CEO of NPR; it was a sideways move or even a step down.

Etymology

Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”), a personal name meaning "fine", "majestic".

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amher
  • maehr
  • maherr
  • mahher
  • mahre
  • mhaer
  • mmaher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amher2maehr2maherr1mahher1mahre2mhaer2mmaher1
Edit distance from "Maher"

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 "Maher"?
"Maher" is spelled M-A-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑː(ɹ)/.
What does "Maher" mean?
As a proper noun, "Maher" means: A surname from Irish.
What words are commonly confused with "Maher"?
"Maher" is commonly confused with "mar", "mer", "make". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Maher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Maher" is /ˈmɑː(ɹ)/. 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 "Maher"?
Reduced Anglicized form of Irish Ó Meachair (“descendant of Meachar”), a personal name meaning "fine", "majestic". 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 "Maher", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Norma#18,906Gucci#18,843plaid#18,918plush#18,920

Similar misspelling depth

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

hooper7 variantsopioid7 variantsglide7 variantsfudge7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list