Mexican

Name: Mexican, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/

//ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Mexican” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,571 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,571
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Mexica; an Aztec.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Mexican vs Mexico

71% similar

Mexican vs median

57% similar

Mexican vs medical

57% similar

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

Key facts for Mexican
Property	Value
Headword	Mexican
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#3,571
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Mexican” 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). Mexican lands here:

#3,571

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Mexican is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,571 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Mexican, with forms such as "emxican", "meixcan", and "mexcian". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "Mexico", "median", "medical", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish mexicano, from Nahuatl mēxihcah plural of mēxihcatl (“a Mexica”) + -ano (“-an”). By surface analysis, Mexico + -an. Doublet of Mexicano. The correct English form is Mexican, spelled M-E-X-I-C-A-N.

Definition

1
A Mexica; an Aztec.
2
The Nahuatl language.
3
A person from the country of Mexico or of Mexican descent.
4
The Mexican dialect of Spanish.
5
A person from, or of descent from, any Spanish-speaking country.
6
A Victorian (a person from the state of Victoria).
7
A person from either of the southern states of New South Wales and Victoria.
8
Mexican or Mexican-derived cuisine; whether traditional Mexican food or Tex-Mex, etc.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish mexicano, from Nahuatl mēxihcah plural of mēxihcatl (“a Mexica”) + -ano (“-an”). By surface analysis, Mexico + -an. Doublet of Mexicano.

Synonyms

Mexica Aztecel goblinola goblinaNahuatl Aztec

This word in other languages

mexicano(Español)Mexicain(Français)Mexikaner(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: emxican,meixcan,mexcian,mexiacn,mexicann,mexiccan,mexicna,mexxican,mmexican,mxeican

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "Mexican"

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 "Mexican"?

"Mexican" is spelled M-E-X-I-C-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/.

What does "Mexican" mean?

As a noun, "Mexican" means: A Mexica; an Aztec.

What words are commonly confused with "Mexican"?

"Mexican" is commonly confused with "Mexico", "median", "medical". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "Mexican"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Mexican" is /ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/. 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 "Mexican"?

Borrowed from Spanish mexicano, from Nahuatl mēxihcah plural of mēxihcatl (“a Mexica”) + -ano (“-an”). By surface analysis, Mexico + -an. Doublet of Mexicano. 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 “Mexican”

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

The one correct English spelling is M-E-X-I-C-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈmɛksɪk(ə)n/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “Mexico” - see the side-by-side comparison. Mexican vs Mexico
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

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.