mandorla

/mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/

//mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə// noun

"mandorla" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mandorla” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vesica piscis-shaped aureola that surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary, or represents God the Father (who is not traditionally depicted) in traditional Eastern Christian art.

Key facts for mandorla
PropertyValue
Headwordmandorla
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mandorla” sits in English frequency

mandorla falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mandorla is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A vesica piscis-shaped aureola that surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary, or represents God the Father (who is not traditionally depicted) in traditional Eastern Christian art.".

Zero misspellings are on record for mandorla in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian mandorla. Doublet of almond, amygdala, and amygdale. The correct English form is mandorla, spelled M-A-N-D-O-R-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vesica piscis-shaped aureola that surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary, or represents God the Father (who is not traditionally depicted) in traditional Eastern Christian art.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian mandorla. Doublet of almond, amygdala, and amygdale.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mandorla"?
"mandorla" is spelled M-A-N-D-O-R-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/.
What does "mandorla" mean?
As a noun, "mandorla" means: A vesica piscis-shaped aureola that surrounds the figures of Christ and the Virgin Mary, or represents God the Father (who is not traditionally depicted) in traditional Eastern Christian art.
How do you pronounce "mandorla"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mandorla" is /mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/. 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 "mandorla"?
Borrowed from Italian mandorla. Doublet of almond, amygdala, and amygdale. 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.

Using “mandorla”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-N-D-O-R-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mænˈdɔː(ɹ)lə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list