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
36,575
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One of an old breed of powerful, deep-chested, and smooth-coated dogs, used chiefly as watchdogs and guard dogs.

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)

Where “mastiff” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). 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 36,575 “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.

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.

Using “mastiff”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-S-T-I-F-F - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmæstɪf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “massif” - see the side-by-side comparison. mastiff vs massif
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list