manipulate
/məˈnɪp.jə.leɪt/verb
manipulate is spelled M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, manipulate means “To move, arrange or operate something using the hands” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in manipulate?
| Letters | 10: M-A-N-I-P-U-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.9 times per million words; the 11,373rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is manipulate?
Manipulate appears 4.9 times per million words in written English, the 11,373rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce manipulate?
- UK /məˈnɪp.jʊ.leɪt/
- US /məˈnɪp.jə.leɪt/
Manipulate has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-manipulate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of manipulate
- manipulates present, singular, he/she/it
- manipulating participle, present
- manipulated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does manipulate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To move, arrange or operate something using the hands
- 2
To influence, manage, direct, control or tamper with something
manipulate data
- 3
To handle and move a body part, either as an examination or for a therapeutic purpose
- 4
To influence or control someone in order to achieve a specific purpose, especially one that is unknown to the one being manipulated and beneficial to the manipulator; to use
cleverly manipulate
- 5
datedTo use the hands, especially in scientific experiments.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Manipulate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | manipular, manusear |
| Spanish | manipular |
| French | manipuler |
| German | manipulieren |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does manipulate come from?
Back-formation from manipulation.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).