massage

/ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/

//ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ// noun

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

"massage" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“massage” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,028. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,028
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The action of rubbing, kneading or hitting someone's body, to help the person relax, prepare for muscular action (as in contact sports) or to relieve aches.

Corpus desk

Index EN-massage · massage · English

massage · rank #7,028 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,028
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Malcolm

Nearest frequency peer: Malcolm (-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 “massage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “massage” 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).

massage vs Massie
57% similar
massage vs message
86% similar
massage vs massive
71% similar

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

Key facts for massage
PropertyValue
Headwordmassage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,028
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “massage”

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).massagelands 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 “Malcolm” (#7,027), “loser” (#7,026), “liquor” (#7,025). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “massage” is #7,028. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around massage (IPA /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,028 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for massage, with forms such as "amssage", "masage", and "masasge". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "Massie", "message", "massive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French massage (noun), from masser (“to massage”) (borrowed around the end of the 18th century from Arabic مَسَّ (massa, “feel, touch”), or from Portuguese amassar) + -age. Cognate to German massieren. The correct English form is massage, spelled M-A-S-S-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The action of rubbing, kneading or hitting someone's body, to help the person relax, prepare for muscular action (as in contact sports) or to relieve aches.
  2. 2
    The action of rubbing or kneading anything.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Having a massage can have many beneficial effects.
  2. During the long lapses in work common with on-location productions, Marilyn would silently meditate as Roberts provided a shoulder massage.

Etymology

From French massage (noun), from masser (“to massage”) (borrowed around the end of the 18th century from Arabic مَسَّ (massa, “feel, touch”), or from Portuguese amassar) + -age. Cognate to German massieren.

This word in other languages

masaje(Español)massage(Français)Massage(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amssage
  • masage
  • masasge
  • massaeg
  • massagge
  • massgae
  • mmassage
  • msasage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amssage2masage1masasge2massaeg2massagge1massgae2mmassage1msasage2
Edit distance from "massage"

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 "massage"?
"massage" is spelled M-A-S-S-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/.
What does "massage" mean?
As a noun, "massage" means: The action of rubbing, kneading or hitting someone's body, to help the person relax, prepare for muscular action (as in contact sports) or to relieve aches.
What words are commonly confused with "massage"?
"massage" is commonly confused with "Massie", "message", "massive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "massage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "massage" is /ˈmæsɑː(d)ʒ/. 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 "massage"?
From French massage (noun), from masser (“to massage”) (borrowed around the end of the 18th century from Arabic مَسَّ (massa, “feel, touch”), or from Portuguese amassar) + -age. Cognate to German massieren. 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 "massage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Malcolm#7,027Leonard#7,024Lebanon#7,021notably#7,035

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

liquor8 variantsstark8 variantsthumb8 variantstimber8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list