mako

/ˈmɑkoʊ/

//ˈmɑkoʊ// noun

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

"mako" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mako” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,126. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,126
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Ellipsis of mako shark

Corpus desk

Index EN-mako · mako · English

mako · rank #30,126 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,126
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maddy

Nearest frequency peer: Maddy (-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 “mako”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mako” 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).

mako vs MO
0% similar
mako vs MK
0% similar
mako vs may
50% similar

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

Key facts for mako
PropertyValue
Headwordmako
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑkoʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#30,126
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mako”

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).makolands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Maddy” (#30,125), “Mandalay” (#30,127), “lustre” (#30,124). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mako” is #30,126. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mako (IPA /ˈmɑkoʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #30,126 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Ellipsis of mako shark".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mako, with forms such as "amko", "makko", and "maok". 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, "MO", "MK", "may", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Māori makō (“shark”), a Southern Maori dialect form of the more standard mangō (“shark”). The correct English form is mako, spelled M-A-K-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ellipsis of mako shark

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori makō (“shark”), a Southern Maori dialect form of the more standard mangō (“shark”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amko
  • makko
  • maok
  • mkao
  • mmako

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amko2makko1maok2mkao2mmako1
Edit distance from "mako"

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 "mako"?
"mako" is spelled M-A-K-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑkoʊ/.
What does "mako" mean?
As a noun, "mako" means: Ellipsis of mako shark
What words are commonly confused with "mako"?
"mako" is commonly confused with "MO", "MK", "may". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mako"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mako" is /ˈmɑkoʊ/. 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 "mako"?
Borrowed from Māori makō (“shark”), a Southern Maori dialect form of the more standard mangō (“shark”). 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 "mako", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

leno#30,118juju#30,109naga#30,148iota#30,103

Similar misspelling depth

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

sienna5 variantsergo5 variantssith5 variantsduma5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list