maverick
/ˈmævəɹɪk/
"maverick" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“maverick” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,886 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #18,886
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unbranded.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | maverick |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈmævəɹɪk/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #18,886 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “maverick” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for maverick is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmævəɹɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,886 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for maverick, with forms such as "amverick", "maevrick", and "maveirck". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Named after Texan lawyer and politician Samuel Maverick (1803–1870), who refused to brand his cattle. For probable origin and meaning, see Maverick. The poker noun sense (“a queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em”) may be from the theme song … The correct English form is maverick, spelled M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K.
Definition
- 1Unbranded.
- 2Showing independence in thoughts or actions.
Etymology
Named after Texan lawyer and politician Samuel Maverick (1803–1870), who refused to brand his cattle. For probable origin and meaning, see Maverick. The poker noun sense (“a queen and a jack as a starting hand in Texas hold 'em”) may be from the theme song of the US Western television series Maverick (1957–1962), which says of the eponymous protagonist that “[g]amblin’ is his game” and that he is “livin’ on jacks and queens”.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amverick,maevrick,maveirck,mavercik,mavericck,maverickk,maverikc,maverrick,mavreick,mavverick,mmaverick,mvaerick
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of maverick - 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.
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 "maverick"?
What does "maverick" mean?
What are common misspellings of "maverick"?
How do you pronounce "maverick"?
What is the origin of the word "maverick"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “maverick”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-V-E-R-I-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmævəɹɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.