Maitreya

/məˈtɹaɪ.ə/

//məˈtɹaɪ.ə// name

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

"maitreya" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Maitreya” is uncommon English (frequency #85,479 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,479
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A bodhisattva who is considered to be a future Buddha.

Key facts for Maitreya
PropertyValue
HeadwordMaitreya
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/məˈtɹaɪ.ə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#85,479
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Maitreya” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Maitreya is uncommon English at frequency #85,479 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /məˈtɹaɪ.ə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Maitreya has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Transliteration of Sanskrit मैत्रेय (maitreya, “friendly, benevolent”). The correct English form is Maitreya, spelled M-A-I-T-R-E-Y-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bodhisattva who is considered to be a future Buddha.
  2. 2
    A sage of ancient India.

Etymology

Transliteration of Sanskrit मैत्रेय (maitreya, “friendly, benevolent”).

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 "Maitreya"?
"Maitreya" is spelled M-A-I-T-R-E-Y-A. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈtɹaɪ.ə/.
What does "Maitreya" mean?
As a proper noun, "Maitreya" means: A bodhisattva who is considered to be a future Buddha.
How do you pronounce "Maitreya"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Maitreya" is /məˈtɹaɪ.ə/. 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 "Maitreya"?
Transliteration of Sanskrit मैत्रेय (maitreya, “friendly, benevolent”). 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.

Using “Maitreya”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-I-T-R-E-Y-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /məˈtɹaɪ.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list