mantel
/ˈmæn.təl/noun, verb
mantel is spelled M-A-N-T-E-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “mantel vs mantle” about 5,400 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, mantel means “The shelf above a fireplace which may be also a structural support for the masonry of the chimney” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mantel is mantels.
How many letters and syllables are in mantel?
| Letters | 6: M-A-N-T-E-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 32,393rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like | |
| Same letters |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is mantel?
Mantel appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 32,393rd 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 mantel?
- /ˈmæn.təl/
Mantel has 2 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-mantel.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with mantel
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: mantle (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with mantel?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as mantel.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: mental, mantle, lament, manlet.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of mantel
- mantels plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- manteling US, participle, present
- mantelling UK, participle, present
- manteled US, participle, past
- mantelled UK, participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mantel mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The shelf above a fireplace which may be also a structural support for the masonry of the chimney.
- 2
A maneuver to surmount a ledge, involving pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body.
verb
- 1
To surmount a ledge by pushing down on the ledge to bring up the body.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mantel in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense shelf above a fireplace:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kaminregal |
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 mantel come from?
A variant of mantle (“cloak, robe”) now distinguished in sense.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).