mask

/mɑːsk/

//mɑːsk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mask” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,251. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,251
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mask · mask · English

mask · rank #4,251 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,251
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH literary

Nearest frequency peer: literary (-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 “mask”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mask” 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).

mask vs MS
0% similar
mask vs MK
0% similar
mask vs may
50% similar

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

Key facts for mask
PropertyValue
Headwordmask
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɑːsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,251
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mask”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “literary” (#4,250), “Massachusetts” (#4,252), “Lincoln” (#4,249). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mask” is #4,251. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around mask (IPA /mɑːsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,251 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 14 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for mask, with forms such as "amsk", "maks", and "maskk". 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, "MS", "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 Middle French masque (“a covering to hide or protect the face”), from Italian maschera (“mask, disguise”), from (a byform of, see it for more) Medieval Latin masca, mascha, a borrowing of Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from which English mesh and… The correct English form is mask, spelled M-A-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.
  2. 2
    That which disguises; a pretext or subterfuge.
  3. 3
    Appearance, likeness.
  4. 4
    A festive entertainment of dancing or other diversions, where all wear masks; a masquerade.
  5. 5
    A person wearing a mask.
  6. 6
    A dramatic performance in which the actors wore masks and represented mythical or allegorical characters.
  7. 7
    A grotesque head or face, used to adorn keystones and other prominent parts, to spout water in fountains, and the like.
  8. 8
    In a permanent fortification, a redoubt which protects the caponiere.
  9. 9
    A screen for a battery.
  10. 10
    The lower lip of the larva of a dragonfly, modified so as to form a prehensile organ.
  11. 11
    A flat covering used to block off an unwanted portion of a scene or image.
  12. 12
    A pattern of bits used in bitwise operations; bitmask.
  13. 13
    A two-color (black and white) bitmap generated from an image, used to create transparency in the image.
  14. 14
    The head of a fox, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a dancer's mask; a fencer's mask; a ball player's mask
  2. Just a few days ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—the CDC—issued new mask guidelines. Under these new guidelines, most Americans in most of the country can now be mask free. And based on the projections, more of the country will reach that point across the next couple of weeks.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French masque (“a covering to hide or protect the face”), from Italian maschera (“mask, disguise”), from (a byform of, see it for more) Medieval Latin masca, mascha, a borrowing of Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from which English mesh and mask (“mesh”) (below at Etymology 2) are inherited. Doublet of masque and mesh. Replaced Old English grīma (“mask”), whence grime, and displaced non-native Middle English viser (“visor, mask”) borrowed from Old French viser, visier.

Synonyms

vizard

This word in other languages

máscara(Español)masque(Français)Maske(Deutsch)máscara(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amsk
  • maks
  • maskk
  • massk
  • mmask
  • msak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amsk2maks2maskk1massk1mmask1msak2
Edit distance from "mask"

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 "mask"?
"mask" is spelled M-A-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /mɑːsk/.
What does "mask" mean?
As a noun, "mask" means: A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.
What words are commonly confused with "mask"?
"mask" is commonly confused with "MS", "MK", "may". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mask"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mask" is /mɑːsk/. 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 "mask"?
Borrowed from Middle French masque (“a covering to hide or protect the face”), from Italian maschera (“mask, disguise”), from (a byform of, see it for more) Medieval Latin masca, mascha, a borrowing of Proto-West Germanic *maskā, from which Englis... 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 "mask", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

jazz#4,244ruin#4,265sean#4,267dare#4,222

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

piano6 variantsSaudi6 variantsslave6 variantschip6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list