manticore

/ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ/

//ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“manticore” is uncommon English (frequency #70,871 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,871
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A beast with the body of a lion (usually red), the tail of a scorpion, and the head/face of a man with a mouth filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), said to be able to shoot spik...

Corpus desk

Index EN-manticore · manticore · English

manticore · rank #70,871 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,871
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH Marceau

Nearest frequency peer: Marceau (+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 “manticore”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for manticore
PropertyValue
Headwordmanticore
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#70,871
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “manticore” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).manticorefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Marceau” (#70,872), “Marduk” (#70,873), “mand” (#70,868). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “manticore” is #70,871. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

manticore is uncommon English at frequency #70,871 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A beast with the body of a lion (usually red), the tail of a scorpion, and the head/face of a man with a mouth filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), said to be able to shoot spik...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for manticore in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin mantichōras, from Ancient Greek μαρτιχόρας (martikhóras, “man-eater; tiger”), from Old Persian *martyahvārah (“man-eater”), from 𐎶𐎼𐎫𐎡𐎹 (m-r-t-i-y /⁠martyaʰ⁠/, “man”). The correct English form is manticore, spelled M-A-N-T-I-C-O-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A beast with the body of a lion (usually red), the tail of a scorpion, and the head/face of a man with a mouth filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), said to be able to shoot spikes from its tail or mane to paralyse prey. It may be horned, winged, or both; its voice is described as a mixture of pipes and trumpets.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Now may I present to you the basilisk? Please down your goggles if you wish to resist From the fiery depths of the planet’s core The never sleeping for want of eating unholy stench of the manticore

Etymology

From Latin mantichōras, from Ancient Greek μαρτιχόρας (martikhóras, “man-eater; tiger”), from Old Persian *martyahvārah (“man-eater”), from 𐎶𐎼𐎫𐎡𐎹 (m-r-t-i-y /⁠martyaʰ⁠/, “man”).

This word in other languages

mantícora(Español)manticore(Français)

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 "manticore"?
"manticore" is spelled M-A-N-T-I-C-O-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ/.
What does "manticore" mean?
As a noun, "manticore" means: A beast with the body of a lion (usually red), the tail of a scorpion, and the head/face of a man with a mouth filled with multiple rows of sharp teeth (like a shark), said to be able to shoot spik...
How do you pronounce "manticore"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manticore" is /ˈmæntɪˌkɔɹ/. 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 "manticore"?
From Latin mantichōras, from Ancient Greek μαρτιχόρας (martikhóras, “man-eater; tiger”), from Old Persian *martyahvārah (“man-eater”), from 𐎶𐎼𐎫𐎡𐎹 (m-r-t-i-y /⁠martyaʰ⁠/, “man”). 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 "manticore", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

machinima#70,856MacDowell#70,855lunchroom#70,849lorazepam#70,845

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list