Abstract: A magneto for two-cycle engines comprises a rotor provided with a magnet and a pair of poles, and a stationary assembly including a U-shaped iron core having a pair of legs and an ignition coil wound around one of the legs. The magnetic circuit provided by the pair of core legs, the pair of poles and the magnet includes a magnetic path through the other leg which path is given an increased magnetic resistance by a gap portion. The gap portion is formed in the end face or a side face of the other leg or in one of the poles in the end face thereof opposed to the other leg.