Mecca

/ˈmɛkə/

//ˈmɛkə// name

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

"mecca" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Mecca” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,672. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,672
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A province of Saudi Arabia.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mecca · Mecca · English

Mecca · rank #17,672 · 5 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,672
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meridian

Nearest frequency peer: meridian (+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 “Mecca”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Mecca” 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).

Mecca vs mega
40% similar
Mecca vs mesa
40% similar
Mecca vs mech
40% similar

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

Key facts for Mecca
PropertyValue
HeadwordMecca
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈmɛkə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,672
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Mecca”

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).Meccalands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “meridian” (#17,673), “Marianne” (#17,670), “MIDI” (#17,674). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Mecca” is #17,672. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around Mecca (IPA /ˈmɛkə/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #17,672 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for Mecca, with forms such as "emcca", "mceca", and "meca". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "mega", "mesa", "mech", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city. The correct English form is Mecca, spelled M-E-C-C-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A province of Saudi Arabia.
  2. 2
    A large city, the provincial capital of Mecca Province in the in the Hejaz region, Saudi Arabia, the holiest place in Islam, location of the sacred Ka'ba, and to which Muslims are required to make a hajj at least once in their lifetime, if possible.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A surname.
  8. 8
    A unisex given name, mostly borne by women.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Mecca appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. MR. HOWE: I would like to ask Mr. Mecca this question : does he think there would be substantial duplication between the agency that he is suggesting, and the current Governors' Committees on Employment of the Handicapped. MR. MECCA: […]
  2. Mrs. Mecca Marie Varney and son are successful lecturers and debaters on various topics of current interest, such as suffrage, etc. Her home is in Paw Paw, Mich. Her lectures are managed by her husband, Charles E. Varney.

Etymology

From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city.

This word in other languages

La Meca(Español)La Mecque(Français)Mekka(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emcca
  • mceca
  • meca
  • mecac
  • mmecca

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emcca2mceca2meca1mecac2mmecca1
Edit distance from "Mecca"

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 "Mecca"?
"Mecca" is spelled M-E-C-C-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛkə/.
What does "Mecca" mean?
As a proper noun, "Mecca" means: A province of Saudi Arabia.
What words are commonly confused with "Mecca"?
"Mecca" is commonly confused with "mega", "mesa", "mech". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Mecca"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Mecca" is /ˈmɛkə/. 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 "Mecca"?
From Arabic مَكَّة (Makka) of uncertain etymology. In American place names, in reference to the Arabian city. 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 "Mecca", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Louie#17,661Olsen#17,686Kraft#17,655jumbo#17,651

Similar misspelling depth

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

MIDI5 variantskale5 variantsrake5 variantsShea5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list