menace

/ˈmɛnɪs/

//ˈmɛnɪs// noun

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

"menace" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“menace” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,165. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,165
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A perceived threat or danger.

Corpus desk

Index EN-menace · menace · English

menace · rank #14,165 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,165
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH McGregor

Nearest frequency peer: McGregor (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “menace”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “menace” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

menace vs mince
67% similar
menace vs Monaco
50% similar
menace vs mensch
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for menace
PropertyValue
Headwordmenace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛnɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,165
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “menace”

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).menacelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “McGregor” (#14,164), “methane” (#14,166), “McConnell” (#14,163). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “menace” is #14,165. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around menace (IPA /ˈmɛnɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,165 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for menace, with forms such as "emnace", "meance", and "menacce". 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. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "mince", "Monaco", "mensch", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English manace, from Old French manace, menace, &c., from Late Latin minācia (“threat, menace”), from Latin mināx (“threatening”) + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns). The correct English form is menace, spelled M-E-N-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A perceived threat or danger.
  2. 2
    The act of threatening.
  3. 3
    An annoying and bothersome person or thing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. the dark menace of the distant war.

Etymology

From Middle English manace, from Old French manace, menace, &c., from Late Latin minācia (“threat, menace”), from Latin mināx (“threatening”) + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns).

Synonyms

minacityminacy

This word in other languages

amenaza(Español)menace(Français)Drohung(Deutsch)ameaça(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emnace
  • meance
  • menacce
  • menaec
  • mencae
  • mennace
  • mmenace
  • mneace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of menace - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

emnace2meance2menacce1menaec2mencae2mennace1mmenace1mneace2
Edit distance from "menace"

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 "menace"?
"menace" is spelled M-E-N-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛnɪs/.
What does "menace" mean?
As a noun, "menace" means: A perceived threat or danger.
What words are commonly confused with "menace"?
"menace" is commonly confused with "mince", "Monaco", "mensch". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "menace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "menace" is /ˈmɛnɪs/. 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 "menace"?
From Middle English manace, from Old French manace, menace, &c., from Late Latin minācia (“threat, menace”), from Latin mināx (“threatening”) + -ia (suffix forming abstract nouns). 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 "menace", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

misuse#14,169nausea#14,175Nicola#14,177kettle#14,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Kaiser8 variantsounces8 variantsinmate8 variantshyped8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list