malbec

/ˈmæl.bɛk/

//ˈmæl.bɛk// noun

"malbec" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“malbec” is uncommon English (frequency #69,223 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,223
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A variety of grape used in making red wine, originally from France, but now predominantly grown in Argentina.

Corpus desk

Index EN-malbec · malbec · English

malbec · rank #69,223 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,223
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH magnifier

Nearest frequency peer: magnifier (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “malbec”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “malbec” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for malbec
PropertyValue
Headwordmalbec
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæl.bɛk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#69,223
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “malbec” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “magnifier” (#69,222), “manilla” (#69,225), “machinegun” (#69,220). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “malbec” is #69,223. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

malbec is uncommon English at frequency #69,223 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmæl.bɛk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

malbec doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French malbec, said to be named after a Hungarian winemaker who brought it to France. The correct English form is malbec, spelled M-A-L-B-E-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    A variety of grape used in making red wine, originally from France, but now predominantly grown in Argentina.
  2. 2
    A red wine made chiefly from malbec grapes.

Etymology

Borrowed from French malbec, said to be named after a Hungarian winemaker who brought it to France.

This word in other languages

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 "malbec"?
"malbec" is spelled M-A-L-B-E-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæl.bɛk/.
What does "malbec" mean?
As a noun, "malbec" means: A variety of grape used in making red wine, originally from France, but now predominantly grown in Argentina.
How do you pronounce "malbec"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "malbec" is /ˈmæl.bɛk/. 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 "malbec"?
Borrowed from French malbec, said to be named after a Hungarian winemaker who brought it to France. 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 "malbec", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list