# massif

> English word · Noun · IPA /mæˈsiːf/ · frequency rank #47,184

## Definitions
1. A principal mountain mass.
2. A block of the earth's crust bounded by faults or flexures and displaced as a unit without internal change; normally consists of gneisses and schists.

## Etymology
Borrowed from French massif, from Middle French massif, ultimately from Latin massa, from Ancient Greek μᾶζα (mâza, “barley-cake, lump (of dough)”).

## Easily confused with
- **Messi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massif-vs-messi)
- **massive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massif-vs-massive)
- **massing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massif-vs-massing)
- **mastiff** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massif-vs-mastiff)
- **mass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mass-vs-massif)
- **massa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massa-vs-massif)
- **masses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/masses-vs-massif)
- **Massey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massey-vs-massif)
- **masjid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/masjid-vs-massif)
- **massed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massed-vs-massif)
- **Maisie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/maisie-vs-massif)
- **Massie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/massie-vs-massif)

## Common misspellings (7)
`amssif`, `masif`, `masisf`, `massfi`, `massiff`, `mmassif`, `msasif`

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