mismanage

/mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ/

//mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ// verb

"mismanage" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

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

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To manage an area of responsibility in a way which is inept, incompetent, or dishonest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-mismanage · mismanage · English

mismanage · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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 mismanage
PropertyValue
Headwordmismanage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “mismanage” in English

mismanagesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

mismanage is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

mismanage has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From mis- + manage. The correct English form is mismanage, spelled M-I-S-M-A-N-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To manage an area of responsibility in a way which is inept, incompetent, or dishonest.
  2. 2
    To behave, in a management capacity, in a manner which is inept, incompetent, or dishonest.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She mismanaged my finances and left me bankrupt.
  2. The fundamental reason why the company failed is that the CEO and other top managers simply mismanaged.

Etymology

From mis- + manage.

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 "mismanage"?
"mismanage" is spelled M-I-S-M-A-N-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ/.
What does "mismanage" mean?
As a verb, "mismanage" means: To manage an area of responsibility in a way which is inept, incompetent, or dishonest.
How do you pronounce "mismanage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mismanage" is /mɪsˈmæ.nədʒ/. 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 "mismanage"?
From mis- + manage. 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