praying mantis
/ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/
"praying-mantis" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“praying mantis” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 14
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a prayer-like stance.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | praying mantis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/ |
| Letters | 14 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “praying mantis” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
praying mantis is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for praying mantis, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Mantis from Greek μάντις (mántis). Named "praying mantis" for their stance, with the forelegs held together in a way that resembles a person praying. Similar designations exist in many European as well as non-European languages. Compare for example French m… The correct English form is praying mantis, spelled P-R-A-Y-I-N-G- -M-A-N-T-I-S.
Definition
- 1Any of various predatory, cannibalistic insects of the order Mantodea that have a prayer-like stance.
- 2A mantid of the species Mantis religiosa.
- 3A woman who preys on men (from the idea that female praying mantises eat males after sex).
Etymology
Mantis from Greek μάντις (mántis). Named "praying mantis" for their stance, with the forelegs held together in a way that resembles a person praying. Similar designations exist in many European as well as non-European languages. Compare for example French mante religieuse (literally “religious mantis”), German Gottesanbeterin (literally “God-worshipper”), Portuguese louva-a-deus (literally “God-praiser”), Persian آخوندک (âxundak, literally “little cleric”).
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 “praying mantis”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is P-R-A-Y-I-N-G- -M-A-N-T-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈpɹeɪ.ɪŋ ˈmæntɪs/ (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.