major

/ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/

//ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)// adj

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

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

The verdict

“major” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#504
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-major · major · English

major · rank #504 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #504
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH living

Nearest frequency peer: living (-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 “major”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “major” 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).

major vs mar
60% similar
major vs mao
60% similar
major vs MOR
0% similar

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

Key facts for major
PropertyValue
Headwordmajor
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/
Letters5
Frequency rank#504
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “major”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).majorlands 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 “living” (#503), “media” (#505), “fun” (#502). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “major” is #504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around major (IPA /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #504 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for major, with forms such as "amjor", "majjor", and "majorr". 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", "mao", "MOR", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs Proto-Italic *magjōs Latin maiorder. Middle English major English major From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; nob… The correct English form is major, spelled M-A-J-O-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.
  2. 2
    Greater in number, quantity, or extent.
  3. 3
    Notable or conspicuous in effect or scope.
  4. 4
    Prominent or significant in size, amount, or degree.
  5. 5
    Involving great risk, serious, life-threatening.
  6. 6
    Of full legal age, having attained majority.
  7. 7
    Of or relating to a subject of academic study chosen as a field of specialization.
  8. 8
    Having intervals of a semitone between the third and fourth, and seventh and eighth degrees. (of a scale)
  9. 9
    Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval. (of an interval)
  10. 10
    Equivalent to that between the tonic and another note of a major scale, and greater by a semitone than the corresponding minor interval. (of an interval)
  11. 11
    (of a key) Based on a major scale, tending to produce a bright or joyful effect.
  12. 12
    Bell changes rung on eight bells.
  13. 13
    Indicating the elder of two brothers (or the eldest of three), appended to a surname in public schools.
  14. 14
    Occurring as the predicate in the conclusion of a categorical syllogism. (of a term)
  15. 15
    Containing the major term in a categorical syllogism. (of a premise)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The US supreme court has ruled unanimously that natural human genes cannot be patented, a decision that scientists and civil rights campaigners said removed a major barrier to patient care and medical innovation.
  2. the major part of the assembly

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs Proto-Italic *magjōs Latin maiorder. Middle English major English major From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, large; noble, important”), from Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs (“greater”), comparative of *meǵh₂- (“great”). Compare West Frisian majoar (“major”), Dutch majoor (“major”), French majeur. Doublet of mayor. Noun sense 1 is a shortening of sergeant major, perhaps after Spanish mayor in the same sense.

Antonyms

minor

This word in other languages

significativo(Español)majeur(Français)bedeutend(Deutsch)maior(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amjor
  • majjor
  • majorr
  • majro
  • maojr
  • mjaor
  • mmajor

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of major - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amjor2majjor1majorr1majro2maojr2mjaor2mmajor1
Edit distance from "major"

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 "major"?
"major" is spelled M-A-J-O-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(ɹ)/.
What does "major" mean?
As an adjective, "major" means: Greater in dignity, rank, importance, significance, or interest.
What words are commonly confused with "major"?
"major" is commonly confused with "mar", "mao", "MOR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "major"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "major" is /ˈmeɪ.d͡ʒə(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 "major"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂s Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *méǵh₂yōs Proto-Italic *magjōs Latin maiorder. Middle English major English major From Middle English major, from Latin maior, comparative of magnus (“great, ... 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 "major", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

media#505phone#506child#500asked#499

Similar misspelling depth

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

among7 variantsfinal7 variantsready7 variantstaken7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list