martyr

/ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)/

//ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“martyr” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,862. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,862
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who willingly accepts being put to death or willingly accepts challenging and exposing iniquity done to oneself for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after r...

Corpus desk

Index EN-martyr · martyr · English

martyr · rank #15,862 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,862
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Marley

Nearest frequency peer: Marley (-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 “martyr”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “martyr” 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).

martyr vs Mary
50% similar
martyr vs mater
67% similar
martyr vs Matty
50% similar

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

Key facts for martyr
PropertyValue
Headwordmartyr
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,862
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “martyr”

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).martyrlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Marley” (#15,861), “masturbation” (#15,863), “manpower” (#15,860). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “martyr” is #15,862. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around martyr (IPA /ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,862 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for martyr, with forms such as "amrtyr", "marrtyr", and "martry". 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, "Mary", "mater", "Matty", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”). The correct English form is martyr, spelled M-A-R-T-Y-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who willingly accepts being put to death or willingly accepts challenging and exposing iniquity done to oneself for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after red martyrdom.
  2. 2
    One who sacrifices their life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
  3. 3
    One who suffers greatly or constantly, even involuntarily.
  4. 4
    Someone who exaggerates their pain and suffering in order to gain sympathy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The apostle Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
  2. Fr. Felipe Císcar Puig was a Valencian priest who is also also considered a martyr of the sacramental seal because he was martyred after keeping confessions secret during the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War.

Etymology

From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Antonyms

apostateconfessor

This word in other languages

mártir(Español)martyr(Français)Märtyrer(Deutsch)mártir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrtyr
  • marrtyr
  • martry
  • marttyr
  • martyrr
  • martyyr
  • marytr
  • matryr
  • mmartyr
  • mratyr

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amrtyr2marrtyr1martry2marttyr1martyrr1martyyr1marytr2matryr2
Edit distance from "martyr"

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 "martyr"?
"martyr" is spelled M-A-R-T-Y-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)/.
What does "martyr" mean?
As a noun, "martyr" means: One who willingly accepts being put to death or willingly accepts challenging and exposing iniquity done to oneself for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after r...
What words are commonly confused with "martyr"?
"martyr" is commonly confused with "Mary", "mater", "Matty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "martyr"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "martyr" is /ˈmɐːtə(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 "martyr"?
From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”). 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 "martyr", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Marley#15,861Magnus#15,859Levine#15,852onward#15,873

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

looting10 variantsobscene10 variantsoctopus10 variantsleukemia10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list