menarche

/mɛˈnɑː.ki/

//mɛˈnɑː.ki// noun

"menarche" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“menarche” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The onset of menstruation; a girl's first period.

Corpus desk

Index EN-menarche · menarche · English

menarche · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "M" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for menarche
PropertyValue
Headwordmenarche
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɛˈnɑː.ki/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “menarche” in English

menarchefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

menarche is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /mɛˈnɑː.ki/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The onset of menstruation; a girl's first period.".

menarche has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested 1900, from German Menarche, formed from meno- + -arche. The correct English form is menarche, spelled M-E-N-A-R-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The onset of menstruation; a girl's first period.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. How old is she? Nine? Ten? The menarche is not far off – a hint of a bosom, poor child.
  2. The most potent and indeed dangerous of all menstrual blood was the menarche, the first day's flow of the first menstruation of a virgin girl.

Etymology

First attested 1900, from German Menarche, formed from meno- + -arche.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "menarche"?
"menarche" is spelled M-E-N-A-R-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɛˈnɑː.ki/.
What does "menarche" mean?
As a noun, "menarche" means: The onset of menstruation; a girl's first period.
How do you pronounce "menarche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "menarche" is /mɛˈnɑː.ki/. 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 "menarche"?
First attested 1900, from German Menarche, formed from meno- + -arche. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list