mayonnaise
/ˌmeɪ.əˈneɪz/noun, verb
mayonnaise is spelled M-A-Y-O-N-N-A-I-S-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, mayonnaise means “A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with French fries, in sandwiches, etc” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of mayonnaise is mayonnaises.
How many letters and syllables are in mayonnaise?
| Letters | 10: M-A-Y-O-N-N-A-I-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.7 times per million words; the 21,209th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise appears 1.7 times per million words in written English, the 21,209th 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 mayonnaise?
- UK /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/
- UK /ˌmeɪ.əˈneɪz/
- US /ˌmeɪ.əˈneɪz/
Mayonnaise has 3 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: En-us-mayonnaise.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with mayonnaise?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as mayonnaise from its last stressed vowel (/eɪz/):
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 mayonnaise
- mayonnaises plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- mayonnaising participle, present
- mayonnaised participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does mayonnaise mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with French fries, in sandwiches, etc.
- 2
Any cold dish with that dressing as an ingredient.
We served a lobster mayonnaise as a starter.
- 3
Any cream, for example for moisturizing the face or conditioning the hair, for which the base is egg yolks and oil.
hair mayonnaise
- 4
AustraliainformalExaggeration.
verb
- 1
To cover or season with mayonnaise.
noun
- 1
obsoleteIn full Mayonnaise sauce or sauce Mayonnaise: alternative letter-case form of mayonnaise.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate mayonnaise?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of mayonnaise: mayo.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Mayonnaise in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense dressing:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | mayonnaise |
| German | Mayonnaise, Majo, Mayo |
| Portuguese | maionese |
| Spanish | mayonesa |
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 mayonnaise come from?
Unadapted borrowing from French mayonnaise, possibly named after the city of Maó (Mahón in Spanish), Minorca, whence the recipe was brought back to France. Compare Spanish mahonesa. Alternative suggested origins include the city of Bayonne (bayonnaise); the Duke of Mayenne and the words manier (“to handle”) in French or moyeu (“eye yolk”) in Old French.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).