# Mallorca or Majorca: spelling, origin and pronunciation

> Mallorca or Majorca: both spellings mean the same island. Where the j comes from, how to pronounce the name and why Menorca and Minorca work the same way.

Canonical: https://mallorcaplaner.com/mallorca-or-majorca/
Updated on: 2026-10-02

Mallorca and Majorca are two spellings of the same island. Mallorca is the name in Catalan and Spanish, and Majorca is the traditional English form. Both go back to Latin.

## In short

Both spellings are correct and mean the same island. Mallorca is the Catalan and Spanish name, also used by the airport and by UNESCO. Majorca is the older English form, which Encyclopaedia Britannica, for example, still uses as its entry title. The name comes from the Latin insula maior, the larger island. The same applies to Menorca and Minorca.

## Key points

- Mallorca is the spelling in Catalan and Spanish, and Majorca is an English variant.
- The name goes back to the Latin insula maior, Medieval Latin Maiorca, the larger island.
- According to Wikipedia the form with ll arose through hypercorrection by central Catalan scribes.
- Pronunciation: Catalan [məˈʎɔɾkə], Spanish [maˈʎoɾka], English mə-YOR-kə, the form Wikipedia lists first.
- Menorca and Minorca follow the same pattern: Latin insula minor, the smaller island.

## The short answer

There are not two islands. Mallorca and Majorca name the same place: the largest of the Balearic Islands. The difference is only one of language. On the island itself, in Catalan and in Spanish, it is Mallorca. German also uses Mallorca. Majorca is the traditional English spelling, used in English alongside Mallorca.
In English the two forms now stand side by side. The English Wikipedia titles its article Mallorca and adds "also spelled Majorca in English". Encyclopaedia Britannica, by contrast, titles its entry Majorca and gives Mallorca as the Catalan and Spanish form. So neither is wrong.

## Where the two spellings come from

The name comes from Classical Latin: insula maior means larger island. In Medieval Latin this became Maiorca, "the larger one", in contrast with Menorca, "the smaller one". Britannica also gives Balearis Major and Majorica as ancient names.
The English form Majorca is closer to that Latin spelling. The form Mallorca is younger: according to Wikipedia, central Catalan scribes altered the medieval Maiorca to Mallorca through hypercorrection, and that spelling became the standard. English has kept the j form in historical names, such as the medieval Kingdom of Majorca or the English title of George Sand's travel book, A Winter in Majorca.
Other languages have forms of their own. In French the island is Majorque, which is how the French version of the UNESCO entry on the Serra de Tramuntana writes it.

## How to pronounce Mallorca

The key is the double l. In Catalan and Spanish it stands for a sound of its own, written [ʎ] in phonetic script, which to English ears sits between "ly" and "y". It is not a plain l as in "Malorka".
- Catalan (Balearic): [məˈʎɔɾkə], with a weak, unstressed first and last vowel.
- Spanish: [maˈʎoɾka].
- English: Wikipedia lists mə-YOR-kə first, alongside variants that start with "my" and variants with an audible j sound as in "JOR". So the first pronunciation listed for the spelling Majorca matches that of Mallorca, with a y sound.

In English, "ma-YOR-ka" is the closest you get to how the name sounds on the island.

## Menorca or Minorca

The neighbouring island follows the same pattern. Menorca is the Catalan and Spanish name, and Minorca is the English variant. The name comes from the Latin insula minor, smaller island, later Minorica. The English Wikipedia opens its article with "Menorca or Minorca", and Britannica lists the island under Minorca. The name is pronounced [məˈnɔɾkə] in Catalan, [meˈnoɾka] in Spanish and min-OR-kə in English. German uses Menorca, and in French the island is Minorque.
How the two islands differ as destinations is covered in the comparison [Mallorca or Menorca](https://mallorcaplaner.com/mallorca-or-menorca/).

## Which spelling to use when

- In German or Spanish: always Mallorca.
- In English: both forms are understood. Mallorca matches the name used locally, and Majorca is the traditional English spelling.
- For flights: the operator Aena calls the airport Palma de Mallorca, and its code is PMI. That is the spelling you will find in any booking form.
- When searching for accommodation and excursions: Mallorca is the spelling used locally. Some English-language sites use Majorca, so it can be worth trying both forms.
- For place names: many places have a Catalan and a Spanish form, such as Santa Ponça and Santa Ponsa, or Peguera and Paguera. In both cases the Catalan form is the official one.

For the actual planning the spelling makes no difference. Start with [holidays in Mallorca](https://mallorcaplaner.com/holidays/), read about the capital under [Palma](https://mallorcaplaner.com/palma/) and see where each region lies on the [map](https://mallorcaplaner.com/map/).

## Mallorca and Menorca: forms of the names by language (sources: Wikipedia and UNESCO, checked on 2 October 2026)

| Language | Larger island | Smaller island |
|---|---|---|
| Catalan | Mallorca [məˈʎɔɾkə] | Menorca [məˈnɔɾkə] |
| Spanish | Mallorca [maˈʎoɾka] | Menorca [meˈnoɾka] |
| German | Mallorca | Menorca |
| English | Mallorca or Majorca | Menorca or Minorca |
| French | Majorque | Minorque |
| Latin | insula maior, Maiorca | insula minor, Minorica |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is it Mallorca or Majorca?

Both are correct. Mallorca is the name in Catalan, Spanish and German. Majorca is an English spelling of the same island, used for example by Encyclopaedia Britannica as its entry title. The English Wikipedia titles its article Mallorca.

### Are Mallorca and Majorca two different islands?

No. Mallorca and Majorca are two spellings of the same island, the largest of the Balearic Islands, whose capital is Palma. The difference is purely linguistic: Mallorca is Catalan and Spanish, and Majorca is the traditional English form.

### How do you pronounce Mallorca correctly?

The double l stands for the sound [ʎ], which sits between "ly" and "y". In Catalan the name is [məˈʎɔɾkə] and in Spanish [maˈʎoɾka]. In English, "ma-YOR-ka" comes closest, and a plain l is not what is meant.

### Where does the name Mallorca come from?

From the Latin insula maior, the larger island. In Medieval Latin it was Maiorca, in contrast with Menorca, the smaller one. According to Wikipedia, central Catalan scribes turned it into Mallorca through hypercorrection, and that form became the standard.

### Why do the British spell Mallorca as Majorca with a j?

Majorca is the traditional English form of the name and is closer to the Latin Maiorca and Majorica than the Catalan spelling Mallorca. Wikipedia lists the pronunciation with a y sound, mə-YOR-kə, first, and alongside it a variant with an audible j.

### Is the island next to Mallorca spelled Menorca or Minorca?

Both are correct here too. Menorca is the Catalan, Spanish and German name, and Minorca is the English variant. The name comes from the Latin insula minor, the smaller island, in contrast with Mallorca, the larger one.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (EN): Mallorca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallorca), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Wikipedia (EN): Menorca](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menorca), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Wikipedia (DE): Menorca](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menorca), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Majorca](https://www.britannica.com/place/Majorca), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Minorca](https://www.britannica.com/place/Minorca), checked on 2026-10-02
- [UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1371), checked on 2026-10-02
- [UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Talayotic Menorca](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1528), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Aena: Aeropuerto de Palma de Mallorca](https://www.aena.es/en/palma-de-mallorca.html), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Wikipedia (EN): Santa Ponsa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Ponsa), checked on 2026-10-02
- [Wikipedia (DE): Peguera](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peguera), checked on 2026-10-02