manhole

/ˈmænhəʊl/

//ˈmænhəʊl// noun

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

"manhole" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“manhole” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,412. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,412
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manhole · manhole · English

manhole · rank #39,412 · 10 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,412
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mandible

Nearest frequency peer: mandible (-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 “manhole”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “manhole” 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).

manhole vs mantle
71% similar
manhole vs manhood
71% similar

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

Key facts for manhole
PropertyValue
Headwordmanhole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmænhəʊl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,412
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “manhole”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).manholelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “mandible” (#39,411), “Margate” (#39,413), “Mainz” (#39,410). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manhole” is #39,412. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around manhole (IPA /ˈmænhəʊl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,412 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for manhole, with forms such as "amnhole", "mahnole", and "manhhole". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "mantle", "manhood", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From man + hole. The correct English form is manhole, spelled M-A-N-H-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations.
  2. 2
    A hole providing access to the inside of a boiler, tank etc.
  3. 3
    The anus of man, in a sexual context.
  4. 4
    The vulva or vagina of a trans man.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The king had scarce ceased to writhe, When hate gave a terrible laugh, Like a manhole opened to Hell.
  2. For quotations using this term, see Citations:manhole.

Etymology

From man + hole.

This word in other languages

pozo(Español)trou d'homme(Français)Mannloch(Deutsch)bueiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amnhole
  • mahnole
  • manhhole
  • manhloe
  • manhoel
  • manholle
  • mannhole
  • manohle
  • mmanhole
  • mnahole

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of manhole - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amnhole2mahnole2manhhole1manhloe2manhoel2manholle1mannhole1manohle2
Edit distance from "manhole"

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 "manhole"?
"manhole" is spelled M-A-N-H-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmænhəʊl/.
What does "manhole" mean?
As a noun, "manhole" means: A hole in the ground used to access the sewers or other underground vaults and installations.
What words are commonly confused with "manhole"?
"manhole" is commonly confused with "mantle", "manhood". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "manhole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manhole" is /ˈmænhəʊl/. 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 "manhole"?
From man + hole. 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 "manhole", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Margate#39,413Lowndes#39,405lioness#39,397minibus#39,430

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

modulus10 variantsmyeloma10 variantsnegated10 variantsOliveira10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list