McNaught
/məkˈnɔːt/
"mcnaught" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“McNaught” is uncommon English (frequency #93,973 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #93,973
- frequency rank, English
- 4,057
- “M” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A surname.
Corpus desk
Index EN-mcnaught · McNaught · English
McNaught · rank #93,973 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #93,973
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 4,057
- PHOTO-FINISH McMurtry
Nearest frequency peer: McMurtry (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “McNaught”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- McCarrick
McCarrick
6,032 corpus weight
- McMinn
McMinn
6,030 corpus weight
- McMurtry
McMurtry
6,029 corpus weight
- McNaught
McNaught
6,028 corpus weight
- McQuarrie
McQuarrie
6,027 corpus weight
- McTaggart
McTaggart
6,026 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “McNaught” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | McNaught |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /məkˈnɔːt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #93,973 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “McNaught” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
McNaught is uncommon English at frequency #93,973 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /məkˈnɔːt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for McNaught, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Scottish Gaelic Mac Neachdan. The comet was named after its discoverer, astronomer Robert H. McNaught, who discovered it in 2006. The correct English form is McNaught, spelled M-C-N-A-U-G-H-T.
Definition
- 1A surname.
- 2A comet in Solar System. A rare comet which was visible to the naked eye, in the southern hemisphere in 2007. The first great comet of the 21st century, and brightest comet in about half-a-century.
Etymology
From Scottish Gaelic Mac Neachdan. The comet was named after its discoverer, astronomer Robert H. McNaught, who discovered it in 2006.
Synonyms
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 "McNaught"?
What does "McNaught" mean?
How do you pronounce "McNaught"?
What is the origin of the word "McNaught"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "McNaught", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
What to do next
You've looked up "McNaught". Here's where to go from here.
- Usage frequency rank #93,973 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.