mayonnaise
/ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/
"mayonnaise" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“mayonnaise” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #21,275 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #21,275
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with french fries, in sandwiches etc.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | mayonnaise |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #21,275 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “mayonnaise” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for mayonnaise is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/. Corpus data places it at rank #21,275 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for mayonnaise, with forms such as "amyonnaise", "maoynnaise", and "maynonaise". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: 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… The correct English form is mayonnaise, spelled M-A-Y-O-N-N-A-I-S-E.
Definition
- 1A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with french fries, in sandwiches etc.
- 2Any cold dish with that dressing as an ingredient.
- 3Any cream, for example for moisturizing the face or conditioning the hair, for which the base is egg yolks and oil.
- 4Exaggeration.
Etymology
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, or egg yolk, in Old French.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: amyonnaise,maoynnaise,maynonaise,mayonaise,mayonanise,mayonnaies,mayonnaisse,mayonnasie,mayonniase,mayyonnaise,mmayonnaise,myaonnaise
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mayonnaise - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "mayonnaise"?
What does "mayonnaise" mean?
What are common misspellings of "mayonnaise"?
How do you pronounce "mayonnaise"?
What is the origin of the word "mayonnaise"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “mayonnaise”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is M-A-Y-O-N-N-A-I-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/ (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.