McCartney

/məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/

//məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni// name

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

"mccartney" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“McCartney” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,586. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,586
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic, notably of Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), one of the Beatles.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

McCartney vs McCarty
78% similar
McCartney vs McCarthy
78% similar

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

Key facts for McCartney
PropertyValue
HeadwordMcCartney
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/
Letters9
Frequency rank#14,586
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “McCartney” 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). McCartney 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 13 spelling variants around McCartney (IPA /məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #14,586 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for McCartney, with forms such as "cmcartney", "mcacrtney", and "mcartney". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "McCarty", "McCarthy", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Artaine (literally “son of Artan”), from mac (“son”) + Artan, a diminutive of the name Art, from Old Irish art (“bear”). Compare McCartan, of similar origin. The correct English form is McCartney, spelled M-C-C-A-R-T-N-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic, notably of Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), one of the Beatles.
  2. 2
    An unincorporated community in Waterloo, Grant County, Wisconsin, United States.

Etymology

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Artaine (literally “son of Artan”), from mac (“son”) + Artan, a diminutive of the name Art, from Old Irish art (“bear”). Compare McCartan, of similar origin.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cmcartney
  • mcacrtney
  • mcartney
  • mccarntey
  • mccarrtney
  • mccarteny
  • mccartneyy
  • mccartnney
  • mccartnye
  • mccarttney
  • mccatrney
  • mccratney
  • mmccartney

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cmcartney2mcacrtney2mcartney1mccarntey2mccarrtney1mccarteny2mccartneyy1mccartnney1
Edit distance from "McCartney"

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 "McCartney"?
"McCartney" is spelled M-C-C-A-R-T-N-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/.
What does "McCartney" mean?
As a proper noun, "McCartney" means: An Irish surname from Scottish Gaelic, notably of Sir Paul McCartney (b. 1942), one of the Beatles.
What words are commonly confused with "McCartney"?
"McCartney" is commonly confused with "McCarty", "McCarthy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "McCartney"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "McCartney" is /məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/. 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 "McCartney"?
Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Artaine (literally “son of Artan”), from mac (“son”) + Artan, a diminutive of the name Art, from Old Irish art (“bear”). Compare McCartan, of similar origin. 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 “McCartney”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-C-C-A-R-T-N-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /məkˈkɑː(ɹ)t.ni/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “McCarty” - see the side-by-side comparison. McCartney vs McCarty
  • 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