mastiff

/ˈmæstɪf/

//ˈmæstɪf// noun

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

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

The verdict

“mastiff” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,344. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,344
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mastiff · mastiff · English

mastiff · rank #48,344 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #48,344
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Massie

Nearest frequency peer: Massie (-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 “mastiff”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “mastiff” 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).

mastiff vs massif
71% similar

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

Key facts for mastiff
PropertyValue
Headwordmastiff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæstɪf/
Letters7
Frequency rank#48,344
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “mastiff”

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).mastifflands 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 “Massie” (#48,343), “McEwan” (#48,345), “Marple” (#48,342). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mastiff” is #48,344. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around mastiff (IPA /ˈmæstɪf/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,344 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for mastiff, with forms such as "amstiff", "masitff", and "masstiff". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "massif", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mastif, mastyf, an aberrant derivation (with influence from Old French mestif) from Old French mastin (modern French mâtin), from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus (“tamed (animal)”), from Latin mansuetus (“tamed”). The correct English form is mastiff, spelled M-A-S-T-I-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. At which time, they wryte that Demoſthenes told the people of Athens, the fable of the ſheepe and woulues, how that the woulues came on a time, and willed the ſheepe, if they woulde haue peace with them, to deliuer them their maſtiues that kept them.
  2. As ſaluage Bull, whom two fierce maſtiues bayt, / When rancour doth with rage him once engore, / Forgets with wary warde them to awayt, / But with his dreadfull hornes them driues afore, / Or flings aloft or treades downe in the flore, / Breathing out wrath, and bellowing diſdaine, / That all the foreſt quakes to heare him rore: […]

Etymology

From Middle English mastif, mastyf, an aberrant derivation (with influence from Old French mestif) from Old French mastin (modern French mâtin), from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus (“tamed (animal)”), from Latin mansuetus (“tamed”).

This word in other languages

mastín(Español)dogue(Français)Dogge(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amstiff
  • masitff
  • masstiff
  • mastfif
  • mastif
  • masttiff
  • matsiff
  • mmastiff
  • msatiff

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amstiff2masitff2masstiff1mastfif2mastif1masttiff1matsiff2mmastiff1
Edit distance from "mastiff"

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 "mastiff"?
"mastiff" is spelled M-A-S-T-I-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæstɪf/.
What does "mastiff" mean?
As a noun, "mastiff" means: One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.
What words are commonly confused with "mastiff"?
"mastiff" is commonly confused with "massif". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mastiff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mastiff" is /ˈmæstɪf/. 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 "mastiff"?
From Middle English mastif, mastyf, an aberrant derivation (with influence from Old French mestif) from Old French mastin (modern French mâtin), from Vulgar Latin *mansuetinus (“tamed (animal)”), from Latin mansuetus (“tamed”). 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 "mastiff", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mistral#48,360Moresby#48,365naivety#48,372newcomb#48,378

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

McEwan9 variantsMarple9 variantsLumley9 variantslodger9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list