mannerism

/ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm/

//ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm// noun

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

"mannerism" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“mannerism” is uncommon English (frequency #68,415 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,415
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A noticeable personal habit, a verbal or other (often, but not necessarily unconscious) habitual behavior peculiar to an individual.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mannerism · mannerism · English

mannerism · rank #68,415 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,415
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Maldon

Nearest frequency peer: Maldon (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “mannerism”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “mannerism” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for mannerism
PropertyValue
Headwordmannerism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#68,415
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mannerism” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Maldon” (#68,414), “Maire” (#68,413), “mainsail” (#68,412). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “mannerism” is #68,415. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

mannerism is uncommon English at frequency #68,415 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

mannerism has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From manner + -ism. The correct English form is mannerism, spelled M-A-N-N-E-R-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A noticeable personal habit, a verbal or other (often, but not necessarily unconscious) habitual behavior peculiar to an individual.
  2. 2
    Exaggerated or affected style in art, speech, or other behavior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in…
  2. artists […] dabblingly pursuing a kind of formalist mannerism merely in the interest of careerism

Etymology

From manner + -ism.

Synonyms

idiosyncrasyquirk

This word in other languages

manierismo(Español)manie(Français)Manier(Deutsch)

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 "mannerism"?
"mannerism" is spelled M-A-N-N-E-R-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm/.
What does "mannerism" mean?
As a noun, "mannerism" means: A noticeable personal habit, a verbal or other (often, but not necessarily unconscious) habitual behavior peculiar to an individual.
How do you pronounce "mannerism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mannerism" is /ˈmænəˌɹɪzəm/. 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 "mannerism"?
From manner + -ism. 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 "mannerism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Magdeburg#68,410lysosomal#68,405McClendon#68,426McNuggets#68,431

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list