no man's land
/ˈnoʊˌmænzˌlænd/
"no-man-s-land" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“no man's land” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 13
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | no man's land |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈnoʊˌmænzˌlænd/ |
| Letters | 13 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “no man's land” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
no man's land is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnoʊˌmænzˌlænd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.
no man's land doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond, which first appears c. 1350. Revived with new senses in a dispatch printed in the Times newspaper by Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton writing as "Eyewitness". The correct English form is no man's land, spelled N-O- -M-A-N-'-S- -L-A-N-D.
Definition
- 1The ground between trenches where a soldier from either side would be easily targeted.
- 2A space amidships used to keep blocks, ropes, etc.; a space on a ship belonging to no one in particular for which to care.
- 3The part of a prison, hospital complex, etc. where individuals are not normally allowed to enter.
- 4A place where no one can or should be present.
- 5The area between the backcourt and the space close to the net, from which it is difficult to return the ball.
- 6An area of the field where a fielder cannot save a single, nor stop a boundary.
- 7Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
- 8Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
- 9Territory that is often disputed, and that cannot be inhabited because of fear of conflict, especially:
- 10The fibrous sheath of the flexor tendons of the hand, specifically in the zone from the distal palmar crease to the proximal interphalangeal joint.
Etymology
Originally from Middle English Nomanneslond, which first appears c. 1350. Revived with new senses in a dispatch printed in the Times newspaper by Colonel Ernest Dunlop Swinton writing as "Eyewitness".
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
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Using “no man's land”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is N-O- -M-A-N-'-S- -L-A-N-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈnoʊˌmænzˌlænd/ (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.