mamo

/ˈmeɪməʊ/

//ˈmeɪməʊ// noun

"mamo" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mamo” is uncommon English (frequency #76,097 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,097
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of two extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreepers of the genus Drepanis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mamo · mamo · English

mamo · rank #76,097 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,097
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH malus

Nearest frequency peer: malus (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “mamo”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mamo” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mamo
PropertyValue
Headwordmamo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmeɪməʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#76,097
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mamo” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).mamofalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “malus” (#76,096), “Mandingo” (#76,099), “Malika” (#76,093). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mamo” is #76,097. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mamo is uncommon English at frequency #76,097 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmeɪməʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Either of two extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreepers of the genus Drepanis.".

mamo has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hawaiian mamo. The correct English form is mamo, spelled M-A-M-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of two extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreepers of the genus Drepanis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mamo appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In 1907, when a well-known collector named Alanson Bryan realised that he had shot the last three specimens of black mamos, a species of forest bird that had only been discovered the previous decade, he noted that the news filled him with ‘joy’.
  2. The plaintive whistle of the Hawai‘i mamo, a shy bird then found only on Hawai‘i Island, was heard only rarely by the mid-1880s, as cattle ranching and plantations altered the forest canopies where this nectar-loving finch once thrived.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hawaiian mamo.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mamo"?
"mamo" is spelled M-A-M-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmeɪməʊ/.
What does "mamo" mean?
As a noun, "mamo" means: Either of two extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreepers of the genus Drepanis.
How do you pronounce "mamo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mamo" is /ˈmeɪməʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "mamo"?
Borrowed from Hawaiian mamo. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mamo", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list