mafia

[ˈmafja]

/[ˈmafja]/ noun

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

The verdict

“mafia” is a regularly-used Spanish word, ranked #6,325 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,325
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Organización criminal de origen siciliano, con estructura organizacional y códigos de honor estrictos.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mafia vs mia
60% similar
mafia vs mai
60% similar
mafia vs mala
60% similar

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

Key facts for mafia
PropertyValue
Headwordmafia
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈmafja]
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,325
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mafia” sits in Spanish 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). mafia lands here:

#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 Spanish entry for mafia is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmafja]. Corpus data places it at rank #6,325 in overall Spanish word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for mafia, with forms such as "amfia", "mafai", and "maffia". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mia", "mai", "mala", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is mafia, spelled M-A-F-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Organización criminal de origen siciliano, con estructura organizacional y códigos de honor estrictos.
  2. 2
    Por extensión, cualquier organización criminal.
  3. 3
    Grupo de personas que se organiza veladamente para proteger sus intereses.
  4. 4
    Grupo de personas que controla completamente una actividad o negocio impidiendo cualquier competencia.
  5. 5
    Acción que lleva al engaño a una persona para aprovecharse de ella.
  6. 6
    Juego de cartas en donde secretamente uno o más jugadores deben hacer de mafia (asesinos). En cada ronda estos deben eliminar a alguno de los demás jugadores, y luego, entre los restantes, se hace una votación para explusar al principal sospechoso. Termina cuando se logra echar a todos los que son mafia o bien cuando queda la misma cantidad de mafias que de jugadores corrientes.

Synonyms

ardidtrampashinobi

This word in other languages

mafia(English)mafia(Français)Mafia(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amfia,mafai,maffia,maifa,mfaia,mmafia

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mafia - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amfia2mafai2maffia1maifa2mfaia2mmafia1
Edit distance from "mafia"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mafia"?
"mafia" is spelled M-A-F-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmafja].
What does "mafia" mean?
As a noun, "mafia" means: Organización criminal de origen siciliano, con estructura organizacional y códigos de honor estrictos.
What words are commonly confused with "mafia"?
"mafia" is commonly confused with "mia", "mai", "mala". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mafia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mafia" is [ˈmafja]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mafia" come from?
"mafia" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “mafia”

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

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-F-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈmafja] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mia” - see the side-by-side comparison. mafia vs mia
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list