megabyte

/ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/

//ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt// noun

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

"megabyte" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“megabyte” is uncommon English (frequency #72,535 among 36,575 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,535
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One million (10⁶, or 1,000,000) bytes or 1,000 kilobytes.

Key facts for megabyte
PropertyValue
Headwordmegabyte
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#72,535
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “megabyte” 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). megabyte lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

megabyte is uncommon English at frequency #72,535 among 36,575 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for megabyte in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mega- + byte. The correct English form is megabyte, spelled M-E-G-A-B-Y-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One million (10⁶, or 1,000,000) bytes or 1,000 kilobytes.
  2. 2
    A mebibyte.

Etymology

From mega- + byte.

Synonyms

MB㎆

This word in other languages

megabyte(Español)mégaoctet(Français)Megabyte(Deutsch)megabyte(Português)

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 "megabyte"?
"megabyte" is spelled M-E-G-A-B-Y-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/.
What does "megabyte" mean?
As a noun, "megabyte" means: One million (10⁶, or 1,000,000) bytes or 1,000 kilobytes.
How do you pronounce "megabyte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "megabyte" is /ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/. 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 "megabyte"?
From mega- + byte. 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 “megabyte”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-E-G-A-B-Y-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmɛɡəˌbaɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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