maru

/ˈmɑːɹuː/

//ˈmɑːɹuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“maru” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,730. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,730
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Japanese ship, especially a merchant ship.

Corpus desk

Index EN-maru · maru · English

maru · rank #33,730 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,730
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mathis

Nearest frequency peer: Mathis (+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 “maru”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “maru” 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).

maru vs Mr
25% similar
maru vs mu
50% similar
maru vs may
50% similar

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

Key facts for maru
PropertyValue
Headwordmaru
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑːɹuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#33,730
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “maru”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).marulands 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 “Mathis” (#33,731), “marksman” (#33,728), “maven” (#33,733). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “maru” is #33,730. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around maru (IPA /ˈmɑːɹuː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,730 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for maru, with forms such as "amru", "marru", and "maur". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Mr", "mu", "may", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Japanese 丸(まる) (maru, “circle; suffix used for ship names”). The correct English form is maru, spelled M-A-R-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Japanese ship, especially a merchant ship.
  2. 2
    A semi-voiced diacritic (゜) used with Japanese kana to change a /h/ to a /p/.
  3. 3
    A large, circular punctuation mark (。) used as a full stop in Japanese text.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the Nippon Maru
  2. Intelligence Report […] It is possible that there may be an increase in the number of transports and marus.

Etymology

From Japanese 丸(まる) (maru, “circle; suffix used for ship names”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amru
  • marru
  • maur
  • mmaru
  • mrau

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amru2marru1maur2mmaru1mrau2
Edit distance from "maru"

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 "maru"?
"maru" is spelled M-A-R-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑːɹuː/.
What does "maru" mean?
As a noun, "maru" means: A Japanese ship, especially a merchant ship.
What words are commonly confused with "maru"?
"maru" is commonly confused with "Mr", "mu", "may". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "maru"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maru" is /ˈmɑːɹuː/. 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 "maru"?
From Japanese 丸(まる) (maru, “circle; suffix used for ship names”). 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 "maru", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mbps#33,735Lupe#33,720Lott#33,716MSRP#33,750

Similar misspelling depth

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

Kona5 variantsKauai5 variantsIgbo5 variantsFinns5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list