Which to use
“mad” is an adjective and “MJ” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,833
- “mad” frequency rank
- #23,938
- “MJ” frequency rank
- 37771
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mad | MJ |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fou. | Maître de jeu, maîtresse de jeu. |
Where the eye mixes mad and MJ
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mad vs MJ
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mad is \mæd\ while MJ is \ɛm.ʒi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37771, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mad is recorded at frequency rank #13,833, classified as anadj, pronounced \mæd\. MJ is at rank #23,938, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛm.ʒi\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 37771, this pair ranks #260,040 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mad vs MJ
Shared letters: m. Private to "mad": ad. Private to "MJ": j.
"mad" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "MJ" · 2 letters · shape CC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mad" for "MJ" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "mad" or "MJ" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "MJ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #260,040 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mad" and "MJ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "MJ vs MWh". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #260,040 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.