Matthews

/ˈmæθjuz/

//ˈmæθjuz// name

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

"matthews" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Matthews” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,080. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,080
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Matthew.

Corpus desk

Index EN-matthews · Matthews · English

Matthews · rank #10,080 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,080
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH maternal

Nearest frequency peer: maternal (-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 “Matthews”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Matthews” 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).

Matthews vs mattress
63% similar
Matthews vs Matthias
75% similar
Matthews vs matters
63% similar

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

Key facts for Matthews
PropertyValue
HeadwordMatthews
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈmæθjuz/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,080
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Matthews”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Matthewslands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “maternal” (#10,079), “Maxwell” (#10,081), “lunar” (#10,078). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Matthews” is #10,080. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around Matthews (IPA /ˈmæθjuz/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #10,080 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for Matthews, with forms such as "amtthews", "mathews", and "mathtews". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "mattress", "Matthias", "matters", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Matthew + -s. The correct English form is Matthews, spelled M-A-T-T-H-E-W-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Matthew.
  2. 2
    A number of places in the United States:
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Four days before his arrest in connection with the three Louisiana Baptist church fires, Holden Matthews expressed disgust with Baptist beliefs on Facebook, CNN has learned.

Etymology

From Matthew + -s.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amtthews
  • mathews
  • mathtews
  • mattehws
  • matthesw
  • matthewss
  • matthewws
  • matthhews
  • matthwes
  • mmatthews
  • mtathews

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amtthews2mathews1mathtews2mattehws2matthesw2matthewss1matthewws1matthhews1
Edit distance from "Matthews"

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 "Matthews"?
"Matthews" is spelled M-A-T-T-H-E-W-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæθjuz/.
What does "Matthews" mean?
As a proper noun, "Matthews" means: An English surname originating as a patronymic derived from the given name Matthew.
What words are commonly confused with "Matthews"?
"Matthews" is commonly confused with "mattress", "Matthias", "matters". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Matthews"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Matthews" is /ˈmæθjuz/. 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 "Matthews"?
From Matthew + -s. 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 "Matthews", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

maternal#10,079McDonald#10,083Napoleon#10,091interval#10,068

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

handing11 variantspathway11 variantsgrabbing11 variantsfortress11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list