McElroy
/ˈmækl̩ˌɹɔɪ/
"mcelroy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“McElroy” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,930. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #44,930
- frequency rank, English
- 36,575
- “M” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname from Irish.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | McElroy |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈmækl̩ˌɹɔɪ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #44,930 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “McElroy” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around McElroy (IPA /ˈmækl̩ˌɹɔɪ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #44,930 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A surname from Irish.".
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for McElroy, with forms such as "cmelroy", "mccelroy", and "mcellroy". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "McIlroy", "McEnroe", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Ruaidh (“son of the red-haired lad”). See also gillaroo. The correct English form is McElroy, spelled M-C-E-L-R-O-Y.
Definition
- 1A surname from Irish.
Etymology
Anglicized form of Irish Mac Giolla Ruaidh (“son of the red-haired lad”). See also gillaroo.
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- cmelroy
- mccelroy
- mcellroy
- mcelory
- mcelroyy
- mcelrroy
- mcelryo
- mcerloy
- mcleroy
- meclroy
- mmcelroy
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of McElroy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "McElroy"?
What does "McElroy" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "McElroy"?
How do you pronounce "McElroy"?
What is the origin of the word "McElroy"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “McElroy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-C-E-L-R-O-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmækl̩ˌɹɔɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “McIlroy” - see the side-by-side comparison. McElroy vs McIlroy
- 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.