Manhattan

/mænˈhætn̩/

//mænˈhætn̩// name

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

"manhattan" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Manhattan” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,519. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,519
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An indigenous people of North America who lived in present day New York State.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manhattan · Manhattan · English

Manhattan · rank #5,519 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,519
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH marathon

Nearest frequency peer: marathon (+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 “Manhattan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Manhattan” 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
Key facts for Manhattan
PropertyValue
HeadwordManhattan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/mænˈhætn̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,519
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Manhattan”

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).Manhattanlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “marathon” (#5,520), “Maine” (#5,517), “marvel” (#5,521). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “Manhattan” is #5,519. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around Manhattan (IPA /mænˈhætn̩/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #5,519 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for Manhattan, with forms such as "amnhattan", "mahnattan", and "manahttan". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From the earlier form Manna-hata recorded by Dutch travelers and settlers, from its name in Unami, the local Algonquian language. The name generally understood to be a compound of Unami mënatay (“island”) or Munsee munahan (compare Abenaki manahan) with ano… The correct English form is Manhattan, spelled M-A-N-H-A-T-T-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An indigenous people of North America who lived in present day New York State.
  2. 2
    A borough of New York City, New York, United States, mainly on Manhattan Island; in full, Borough of Manhattan.
  3. 3
    An island of New York, United States; in full, Manhattan Island.
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:
  6. 6
    A number of places in the United States:
  7. 7
    A number of places in the United States:
  8. 8
    A number of places in the United States:
  9. 9
    A number of places in the United States:
  10. 10
    A number of places in the United States:
  11. 11
    A number of places in the United States:

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Holonyms: New York < New York < United States < North America < Earth, World
  2. Meronyms: Harlem, Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Lower East Side, Madison Avenue, Wall Street, World Trade Center, Battery

Etymology

From the earlier form Manna-hata recorded by Dutch travelers and settlers, from its name in Unami, the local Algonquian language. The name generally understood to be a compound of Unami mënatay (“island”) or Munsee munahan (compare Abenaki manahan) with another element. According to a report by John Heckewelder, the name is connected to a wooded area whose trees were suitable for making bows. Linguist Ives Goddard explains the early forms Manna-hatta(n) and Mannahachtink as spellings of Munsee manaháhtaan (“place for gathering the wood to make bows”) and its related locative form manaháhteenk. This interpretation breaks down the word as a compound of manah- (“gather”) + -aht (“bow”) + -aan (“place”).

This word in other languages

Manhattan(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amnhattan
  • mahnattan
  • manahttan
  • manhatan
  • manhatatn
  • manhattann
  • manhattna
  • manhhattan
  • manhtatan
  • mannhattan
  • mmanhattan
  • mnahattan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Manhattan - 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.

amnhattan2mahnattan2manahttan2manhatan1manhatatn2manhattann1manhattna2manhhattan1
Edit distance from "Manhattan"

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 "Manhattan"?
"Manhattan" is spelled M-A-N-H-A-T-T-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /mænˈhætn̩/.
What does "Manhattan" mean?
As a proper noun, "Manhattan" means: An indigenous people of North America who lived in present day New York State.
What are common misspellings of "Manhattan"?
Common misspellings include "amnhattan", "mahnattan", "manahttan", "manhatan", "manhatatn". The correct spelling is "Manhattan".
How do you pronounce "Manhattan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Manhattan" is /mænˈhætn̩/. 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 "Manhattan"?
From the earlier form Manna-hata recorded by Dutch travelers and settlers, from its name in Unami, the local Algonquian language. The name generally understood to be a compound of Unami mënatay (“island”) or Munsee munahan (compare Abenaki manahan... 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 "Manhattan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

liability#5,516perceived#5,530Halloween#5,500realistic#5,539

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

marathon12 variantsscratch12 variantssunshine12 variantsbenjamin12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list