# mainland

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmeɪnlənd/ · frequency rank #7,712

## Definitions
1. The continent; the principal land, as distinguished from islands or a peninsula.
2. The principal island of a group.
3. Great Britain.

## Etymology
From Middle English mayne londe; equivalent to main + land. Compare Scots mayn-land, magan-land, madin-land (“mainland”), Faroese meginland (“mainland”), Icelandic meginland (“mainland”).

## Easily confused with
- **midland** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mainland-vs-midland)
- **Maryland** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mainland-vs-maryland)
- **mainline** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mainland-vs-mainline)
- **Maitland** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mainland-vs-maitland)

## Common misspellings (12)
`aminland`, `mailnand`, `mainalnd`, `mainladn`, `mainlandd`, `mainlannd`, `mainlland`, `mainlnad`, `mainnland`, `maniland`, `mianland`, `mmainland`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mainland