mangy

/ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi/

//ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“mangy” is uncommon English (frequency #84,484 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,484
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Afflicted, or looking as if afflicted, with mange.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mangy · mangy · English

mangy · rank #84,484 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,484
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH malabsorption

Nearest frequency peer: malabsorption (-2 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 “mangy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mangy
PropertyValue
Headwordmangy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#84,484
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mangy” in English

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).mangyfalls 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: “malabsorption” (#84,482), “manoeuvrability” (#84,486), “mardy” (#84,488). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mangy” is #84,484. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mangy is uncommon English at frequency #84,484 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for mangy, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mange + -y. The correct English form is mangy, spelled M-A-N-G-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Afflicted, or looking as if afflicted, with mange.
  2. 2
    Worn and squalid-looking; bedraggled or decrepit.
  3. 3
    Contemptible, despicable, low.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We stayed in a really mangy hotel in New York.
  2. When we came abreast again, they faced the river, stamped their feet, nodded their horned heads, swayed their scarlet bodies; they shook towards the fierce river-demon a bunch of black feathers, a mangy skin with a pendent tail— something that looked a dried gourd; they shouted periodically together strings of amazing words that resembled no sounds of hum…

Etymology

From mange + -y.

This word in other languages

sarnoso(Español)galeux(Français)krätzig(Deutsch)sarnento(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 "mangy"?
"mangy" is spelled M-A-N-G-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi/.
What does "mangy" mean?
As an adjective, "mangy" means: Afflicted, or looking as if afflicted, with mange.
How do you pronounce "mangy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mangy" is /ˈmeɪn.d͡ʒi/. 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 "mangy"?
From mange + -y. 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 "mangy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

mardy#84,488Mable#84,478Lippe#84,465mends#84,508

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list