manly

/ˈmænli/

//ˈmænli// adj

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

"manly" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“manly” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,912. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,912
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the characteristics of a man.

Corpus desk

Index EN-manly · manly · English

manly · rank #11,912 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,912
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Lester

Nearest frequency peer: Lester (-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 “manly”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “manly” 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).

manly vs may
60% similar
manly vs many
80% similar
manly vs Mary
40% similar

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

Key facts for manly
PropertyValue
Headwordmanly
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmænli/
Letters5
Frequency rank#11,912
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “manly”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Lester” (#11,911), “Marvin” (#11,913), “laps” (#11,910). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manly” is #11,912. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around manly (IPA /ˈmænli/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,912 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for manly, with forms such as "amnly", "malny", and "manlly". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "may", "many", "Mary", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English manli, manlich, manly, from Old English *manlīċ (suggested by adverb manlīċe (“in a way befitting a person; nobly, stately”)), from Proto-West Germanic *mannlīk, from Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz, equivalent to man + -ly (adjectival suffix)… The correct English form is manly, spelled M-A-N-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the characteristics of a man.
  2. 2
    Having qualities viewed as befitting a man; masculine, manful, courageous, resolute, noble.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. what God or Feend, or ſpirit of the earth, Or Monſter turned to a manly ſhape, Or of what mould or mettel he be made, What ſtar or ſtate ſoeuer gouern him, Let vs put on our meet incountering mindes, […]
  2. Let's briefly put on manly readiness.

Etymology

From Middle English manli, manlich, manly, from Old English *manlīċ (suggested by adverb manlīċe (“in a way befitting a person; nobly, stately”)), from Proto-West Germanic *mannlīk, from Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz, equivalent to man + -ly (adjectival suffix). Cognate with Old High German manlīh (“manly”) (whence German männlich), Dutch mannelijk, Old Norse mannligr (“human”) (Danish mandlig, Swedish manlig).

This word in other languages

varonil(Español)viril(Français)männlich(Deutsch)varonil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amnly
  • malny
  • manlly
  • manlyy
  • mannly
  • manyl
  • mmanly
  • mnaly

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of manly - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amnly2malny2manlly1manlyy1mannly1manyl2mmanly1mnaly2
Edit distance from "manly"

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 "manly"?
"manly" is spelled M-A-N-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmænli/.
What does "manly" mean?
As an adjective, "manly" means: Having the characteristics of a man.
What words are commonly confused with "manly"?
"manly" is commonly confused with "may", "many", "Mary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "manly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manly" is /ˈmænli/. 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 "manly"?
From Middle English manli, manlich, manly, from Old English *manlīċ (suggested by adverb manlīċe (“in a way befitting a person; nobly, stately”)), from Proto-West Germanic *mannlīk, from Proto-Germanic *mannlīkaz, equivalent to man + -ly (adjectiv... 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 "manly", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kumar#11,908Nokia#11,922oxide#11,929pence#11,932

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Kuwait8 variantsmorale8 variantsJulius8 variantsJerome8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list