manatee

/ˈmæn.əˌtiː/

//ˈmæn.əˌtiː// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"manatee" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“manatee” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,906. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,906
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of the genus Trichechus, found in tropical regions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manatee · manatee · English

manatee · rank #39,906 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,906
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Mansour

Nearest frequency peer: Mansour (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “manatee”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “manatee” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

manatee vs mantle
71% similar
manatee vs mantel
71% similar
manatee vs mandate
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for manatee
PropertyValue
Headwordmanatee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæn.əˌtiː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,906
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “manatee”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).manateelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Mansour” (#39,907), “mahi” (#39,904), “McIlroy” (#39,908). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manatee” is #39,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around manatee (IPA /ˈmæn.əˌtiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,906 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of the genus Trichechus, found in tropical regions.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for manatee, with forms such as "amnatee", "maantee", and "manaete". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "mantle", "mantel", "mandate", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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. The correct English form is manatee, spelled M-A-N-A-T-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of the genus Trichechus, found in tropical regions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The ecological importance of the manatee is clear; scientists have demonstrated the dependancy^([sic]) of all components of an ecosystem on one another […]

Etymology

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.

This word in other languages

manatí(Español)lamantin(Français)Manati(Deutsch)peixe-boi(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amnatee
  • maantee
  • manaete
  • manate
  • manattee
  • mannatee
  • mantaee
  • mmanatee
  • mnaatee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of manatee - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amnatee2maantee2manaete2manate1manattee1mannatee1mantaee2mmanatee1
Edit distance from "manatee"

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 "manatee"?
"manatee" is spelled M-A-N-A-T-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæn.əˌtiː/.
What does "manatee" mean?
As a noun, "manatee" means: Any of several plant-eating marine mammals, of the genus Trichechus, found in tropical regions.
What words are commonly confused with "manatee"?
"manatee" is commonly confused with "mantle", "mantel", "mandate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "manatee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manatee" is /ˈmæn.əˌtiː/. 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 "manatee"?
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. 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 "manatee", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mansour#39,907McIlroy#39,908launder#39,893Moncton#39,919

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

lowkey9 variantsKristy9 variantsiridium9 variantsinvert9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list