Manila

/mɐˈni.lɐ/

//mɐˈni.lɐ// name

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

"manila" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Manila” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,572 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#8,572
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The capital city of the Philippines; the regional capital of Metro Manila, in the island of Luzon.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Manila vs Mila
67% similar
Manila vs Maria
67% similar
Manila vs manly
50% similar

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

Key facts for Manila
PropertyValue
HeadwordManila
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/mɐˈni.lɐ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,572
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Manila” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Manila is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mɐˈni.lɐ/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,572 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Manila, with forms such as "amnila", "mainla", and "manial". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Mila", "Maria", "manly", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish Manila, from Tagalog Maynila, from may (“there is”) + nila (“indigo”), Tagalog nila from Sanskrit नील (nīla). The correct English form is Manila, spelled M-A-N-I-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital city of the Philippines; the regional capital of Metro Manila, in the island of Luzon.
  2. 2
    Metro Manila, the National Capital Region (NCR).
  3. 3
    the entirety of Luzon.
  4. 4
    The national government or administrative authority of the Philippines.
  5. 5
    A small town, the county seat of Daggett County, Utah, United States.
  6. 6
    A census-designated place in Humboldt County, California, United States.
  7. 7
    A city in Mississippi County, Arkansas, United States.

Etymology

From Spanish Manila, from Tagalog Maynila, from may (“there is”) + nila (“indigo”), Tagalog nila from Sanskrit नील (nīla).

This word in other languages

Manila(Español)Manille(Français)Manila(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amnila,mainla,manial,manilla,manlia,mannila,mmanila,mnaila

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amnila2mainla2manial2manilla1manlia2mannila1mmanila1mnaila2
Edit distance from "Manila"

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 "Manila"?
"Manila" is spelled M-A-N-I-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /mɐˈni.lɐ/.
What does "Manila" mean?
As a proper noun, "Manila" means: The capital city of the Philippines; the regional capital of Metro Manila, in the island of Luzon.
What words are commonly confused with "Manila"?
"Manila" is commonly confused with "Mila", "Maria", "manly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Manila"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Manila" is /mɐˈni.lɐ/. 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 "Manila"?
From Spanish Manila, from Tagalog Maynila, from may (“there is”) + nila (“indigo”), Tagalog nila from Sanskrit नील (nīla). 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.

Using “Manila”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-N-I-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɐˈni.lɐ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Mila” - see the side-by-side comparison. Manila vs Mila
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list