manga

/ˈmæŋɡə/

//ˈmæŋɡə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“manga” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,473. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,473
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A comic originating in Japan.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manga · manga · English

manga · rank #7,473 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,473
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mandate

Nearest frequency peer: mandate (-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 “manga”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “manga” 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).

manga vs many
60% similar
manga vs mega
60% similar
manga vs Maya
40% similar

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

Key facts for manga
PropertyValue
Headwordmanga
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæŋɡə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,473
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “manga”

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).mangalands 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 “mandate” (#7,472), “memorable” (#7,474), “madness” (#7,471). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manga” is #7,473. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around manga (IPA /ˈmæŋɡə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,473 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for manga, with forms such as "amnga", "manag", and "mangga". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "many", "mega", "Maya", 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 Japanese 漫画(まんが) (manga), from Middle Chinese 漫 (MC manH, “free, unrestrained”) + 畫 (MC hweaH|hweak, “drawing”). Compare Mandarin 漫畫／漫画 (mànhuà), Korean 만화 (漫畵／漫畫, manhwa). After an 1814 book by Katsushika Hokusai. Doublet of manhua and manhwa. The correct English form is manga, spelled M-A-N-G-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A comic originating in Japan.
  2. 2
    An artistic style heavily used in, and associated with, Japanese comics, and that has also been adopted by a comparatively low number of comics from other countries.
  3. 3
    Any comic in such a style, regardless of the country of origin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. English speakers are quick to notice the at times incorrect use of English in anime and manga. Many English words are customarily used in standard Japanese speech, and sometimes they are pronounced and employed in a manner quite different from their native use.
  2. Manga (Japanese comics) are everywhere. Even here in Auckland. One can find various titles in their original versions as well as in Chinese, Korean and English translations.

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 漫画(まんが) (manga), from Middle Chinese 漫 (MC manH, “free, unrestrained”) + 畫 (MC hweaH|hweak, “drawing”). Compare Mandarin 漫畫／漫画 (mànhuà), Korean 만화 (漫畵／漫畫, manhwa). After an 1814 book by Katsushika Hokusai. Doublet of manhua and manhwa.

This word in other languages

manga(Español)manga(Français)Manga(Deutsch)mangá(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amnga
  • manag
  • mangga
  • mannga
  • mmanga
  • mnaga

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of manga - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amnga2manag2mangga1mannga1mmanga1mnaga2
Edit distance from "manga"

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 "manga"?
"manga" is spelled M-A-N-G-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæŋɡə/.
What does "manga" mean?
As a noun, "manga" means: A comic originating in Japan.
What words are commonly confused with "manga"?
"manga" is commonly confused with "many", "mega", "Maya". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "manga"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manga" is /ˈmæŋɡə/. 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 "manga"?
Borrowed from Japanese 漫画(まんが) (manga), from Middle Chinese 漫 (MC manH, “free, unrestrained”) + 畫 (MC hweaH|hweak, “drawing”). Compare Mandarin 漫畫／漫画 (mànhuà), Korean 만화 (漫畵／漫畫, manhwa). After an 1814 book by Katsushika Hokusai. Doublet of manhua ... 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 "manga", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lungs#7,470lanes#7,468poker#7,483handy#7,456

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

hers6 variantssally6 variantsslap6 variantssteak6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list