Quick answer
Marital relates to marriage — marital status, marital problems. Martial relates to war or the military — martial arts, martial law. The letters are simply transposed, which is why typing one for the other produces a sentence that passes spellcheck and reads very oddly.
The core difference
Two unrelated words separated by a letter swap.
- marital — of marriage: marital status.
- martial — of war: martial law, martial arts.
Why spellcheck cannot help
Both are real words, so the swap produces something grammatical. "Martial status" on a form and "marital law" in a news report are the classic results, and both have reached print more than once.
The roots
Marital is from Latin maritus, husband. Martial is from Mars, the Roman god of war — the same source as the planet and the month of March, which was named for the start of the campaigning season.
Frequently asked questions
Which word means relating to marriage?
Marital. Martial relates to war and the military.
Where does martial come from?
From Mars, the Roman god of war — the same source as the planet and the month of March.
Why is this mistake so common?
Because the letters are merely transposed and both spellings are real words, so nothing flags the error.
