makes

/meɪks/

//meɪks// verb

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

The verdict

“makes” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #330 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#330
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - third-person singular simple present indicative of make

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

makes vs mes
60% similar
makes vs male
60% similar
makes vs mass
60% similar

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

Key facts for makes
PropertyValue
Headwordmakes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/meɪks/
Letters5
Frequency rank#330
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “makes” 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). makes lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for makes is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /meɪks/. Corpus data places it at rank #330 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "third-person singular simple present indicative of make".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for makes, with forms such as "amkes", "maeks", and "makess". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mes", "male", "mass", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is makes, spelled M-A-K-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of make

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amkes,maeks,makess,makkes,makse,mkaes,mmakes

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amkes2maeks2makess1makkes1makse2mkaes2mmakes1
Edit distance from "makes"

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 "makes"?
"makes" is spelled M-A-K-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /meɪks/.
What does "makes" mean?
As a verb, "makes" means: third-person singular simple present indicative of make
What words are commonly confused with "makes"?
"makes" is commonly confused with "mes", "male", "mass". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "makes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "makes" is /meɪks/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "makes" come from?
"makes" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “makes”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-K-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /meɪks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mes” - see the side-by-side comparison. makes vs mes
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list