# menace

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmɛnɪs/ · frequency rank #14,165

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

## 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).

## Easily confused with
- **mince** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/menace-vs-mince)
- **Monaco** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/menace-vs-monaco)
- **mensch** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/menace-vs-mensch)
- **mace** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mace-vs-menace)
- **MENA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mena-vs-menace)
- **Meade** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/meade-vs-menace)
- **manage** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/manage-vs-menace)

## Common misspellings (8)
`emnace`, `meance`, `menacce`, `menaec`, `mencae`, `mennace`, `mmenace`, `mneace`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/menace