manes

/ˈmɑːneɪz/

//ˈmɑːneɪz// noun

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

"manes" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“manes” is uncommon English (frequency #57,547 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,547
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The souls or spirits of dead ancestors, conceived as deities or the subjects of reverence, or of other deceased relatives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manes · manes · English

manes · rank #57,547 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #57,547
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH malformation

Nearest frequency peer: malformation (-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 “manes”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for manes
PropertyValue
Headwordmanes
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑːneɪz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#57,547
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “manes” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).manesfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “malformation” (#57,546), “maquis” (#57,548), “Mainwaring” (#57,545). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manes” is #57,547. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

manes is uncommon English at frequency #57,547 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɑːneɪz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The souls or spirits of dead ancestors, conceived as deities or the subjects of reverence, or of other deceased relatives.".

manes has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin manes (“spirits of the dead”). The correct English form is manes, spelled M-A-N-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The souls or spirits of dead ancestors, conceived as deities or the subjects of reverence, or of other deceased relatives.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. this was the Ustrina or place of burning their bodies, or some sacrificing place unto the Manes
  2. Still may the manès of thy children rise To chase calm slumber from thy wearied eyes; Still may their voices on the haunted air In fearful whispers tell thee to despair,

Etymology

From Latin manes (“spirits of the dead”).

This word in other languages

mânes(Français)Manen(Deutsch)manes(Português)

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 "manes"?
"manes" is spelled M-A-N-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑːneɪz/.
What does "manes" mean?
As a noun, "manes" means: The souls or spirits of dead ancestors, conceived as deities or the subjects of reverence, or of other deceased relatives.
How do you pronounce "manes"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manes" is /ˈmɑːneɪz/. 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 "manes"?
From Latin manes (“spirits of the dead”). 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 "manes", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Marte#57,550Maggi#57,542Maeda#57,541McCaw#57,553

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list