# Manhattan

> English word · Proper noun · IPA /mænˈhætn̩/ · frequency rank #5,519

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

## 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”).

## Common misspellings (12)
`amnhattan`, `mahnattan`, `manahttan`, `manhatan`, `manhatatn`, `manhattann`, `manhattna`, `manhhattan`, `manhtatan`, `mannhattan`, `mmanhattan`, `mnahattan`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/manhattan