McLeod

/məˈklaʊd/

//məˈklaʊd// name

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

"mcleod" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“McLeod” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,900. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,900
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, the anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Leòid

Corpus desk

Index EN-mcleod · McLeod · English

McLeod · rank #23,900 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,900
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH merchandising

Nearest frequency peer: merchandising (+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 “McLeod”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “McLeod” 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).

McLeod vs McLean
67% similar
McLeod vs Macleod
71% similar

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

Key facts for McLeod
PropertyValue
HeadwordMcLeod
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/məˈklaʊd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#23,900
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “McLeod”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).McLeodlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “merchandising” (#23,901), “marshmallow” (#23,897), “Mika” (#23,903). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “McLeod” is #23,900. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around McLeod (IPA /məˈklaʊd/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #23,900 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, the anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Leòid".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for McLeod, with forms such as "cmleod", "mccleod", and "mcelod". 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, "McLean", "Macleod", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid (“son of Leòd”), from Old Norse Liótr (“the Ugly (one)”), from Old Norse ljótr (“ugly, scary”). The combination tool was created in 1905 by Malcolm McLeod, a US Forest Service ranger. The correct English form is McLeod, spelled M-C-L-E-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, the anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Leòid

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid (“son of Leòd”), from Old Norse Liótr (“the Ugly (one)”), from Old Norse ljótr (“ugly, scary”). The combination tool was created in 1905 by Malcolm McLeod, a US Forest Service ranger.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cmleod
  • mccleod
  • mcelod
  • mcledo
  • mcleodd
  • mclleod
  • mcloed
  • mlceod
  • mmcleod

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of McLeod - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

cmleod2mccleod1mcelod2mcledo2mcleodd1mclleod1mcloed2mlceod2
Edit distance from "McLeod"

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 "McLeod"?
"McLeod" is spelled M-C-L-E-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈklaʊd/.
What does "McLeod" mean?
As a proper noun, "McLeod" means: A Scottish surname from Scottish Gaelic, the anglicised form of the Gaelic Mac Leòid
What words are commonly confused with "McLeod"?
"McLeod" is commonly confused with "McLean", "Macleod". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "McLeod"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "McLeod" is /məˈklaʊd/. 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 "McLeod"?
From Scottish Gaelic MacLeòid (“son of Leòd”), from Old Norse Liótr (“the Ugly (one)”), from Old Norse ljótr (“ugly, scary”). The combination tool was created in 1905 by Malcolm McLeod, a US Forest Service ranger. 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 "McLeod", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

lilies#23,891monies#23,909Larsen#23,888lander#23,886

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Mallory9 variantsKessler9 variantsNatalia9 variantsjigsaw9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list