manatee
/ˈmæn.əˌtiː/noun
manatee is spelled M-A-N-A-T-E-E: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, manatee means “A mostly herbivorous sirenian of the genus Trichechus, having a paddle-like tail and nails on their flippers, found in tropical regions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of manatee is manatees.
How many letters and syllables are in manatee?
| Letters | 7: M-A-N-A-T-E-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 39,832nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is manatee?
Manatee appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 39,832nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce manatee?
- UK /ˈmæn.əˌtiː/
Manatee has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-manatee.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with manatee?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as manatee (/ænəti/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: emanate.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of manatee
- manatees plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does manatee mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A mostly herbivorous sirenian of the genus Trichechus, having a paddle-like tail and nails on their flippers, found in tropical regions.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Manatee in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of family Trichechidae:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | lamantin |
| German | Rundschwanzseekuh, Manati |
| Portuguese | peixe-boi, manati, manatim |
| Spanish | manatí, pez mujer, manato |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does manatee come from?
Borrowed from Spanish manatí, from a Cariban-language term meaning ‘breast’, ultimately from Proto-Cariban *manatɨ; compare Kari'na manaty, Trió manatï, Apalaí manaty, Akawaio manatï, Pemon manatü, Macushi manatî.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).