mannish

/ˈmæn.ɪʃ/

//ˈmæn.ɪʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“mannish” is an uncommon English word, ranked #85,483 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#85,483
frequency rank, English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.

Key facts for mannish
PropertyValue
Headwordmannish
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈmæn.ɪʃ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#85,483
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mannish” 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). mannish 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 mannish is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmæn.ɪʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #85,483 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

mannish has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English mannish, mannisshe, mannysh, from earlier mennish (“human”), from Old English mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”), from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). By surface analysis, man + -ish. Doublet of me… The correct English form is mannish, spelled M-A-N-N-I-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.
  2. 2
    Resembling or characteristic of a grown man (as opposed to a boy); mature, adult.
  3. 3
    Impertinent; assertive.
  4. 4
    Precocious.
  5. 5
    Resembling or characteristic of a human being, in form or nature; human.

Etymology

From Middle English mannish, mannisshe, mannysh, from earlier mennish (“human”), from Old English mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”), from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). By surface analysis, man + -ish. Doublet of mennish, mense, and mensch.

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 "mannish"?
"mannish" is spelled M-A-N-N-I-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæn.ɪʃ/.
What does "mannish" mean?
As an adjective, "mannish" means: Resembling or characteristic of a man, masculine.
How do you pronounce "mannish"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mannish" is /ˈmæn.ɪʃ/. 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 "mannish"?
From Middle English mannish, mannisshe, mannysh, from earlier mennish (“human”), from Old English mennisċ (“human, natural, humane”), from Proto-West Germanic *mannisk, from Proto-Germanic *manniskaz (“human”). By surface analysis, man + -ish. Dou... 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 “mannish”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-N-N-I-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmæn.ɪʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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