# mare

> English word · Noun · IPA /mɛə/ · frequency rank #13,015

## Definitions
1. An adult female horse.
2. A foolish woman.

## Etymology
From Middle English mare, mere, from Old English mīere (“female horse, mare”), from Proto-West Germanic *marhijā, from Proto-Germanic *marhijō (“female horse”), from *marhaz (“horse”).
Cognates
See also Scots mere, meir, mear (“mare”), North Frisian mar (“mare, horse”), West Frisian merje (“mare”), Dutch merrie (“mare”), Danish mær (“mare”), Swedish märr (“mare”), Icelandic meri (“mare”), German Mähre (“decrepit old horse”)), Old English mearh.

## Easily confused with
- **ME** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-me)
- **Mr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mr)
- **may** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-may)
- **Mrs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mrs)
- **max** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-max)
- **mat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mat)
- **MRI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mri)
- **moe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-moe)
- **mir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mir)
- **mer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mer)
- **MOR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mor)
- **Mau** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mau)
- **mee** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mee)
- **maw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-maw)
- **Mme** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mme)
- **MBE** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mbe)
- **MRT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mrt)
- **MRC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mrc)
- **MRP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mrp)
- **Mie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mare-vs-mie)

## Common misspellings (5)
`amre`, `maer`, `marre`, `mmare`, `mrae`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/mare