to the manner born

adj

"to-the-manner-born" is a 15-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“to the manner born” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
18
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Familiar or adapted as if from birth with a specified custom, behavior, accouterment, etc.; naturally suited to it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-to-the-manner-born · to the manner born · English

to the manner born · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 18 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "T" 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 to the manner born
PropertyValue
Headwordto the manner born
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters18
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “to the manner born” in English

to the manner bornranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

to the manner born is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Familiar or adapted as if from birth with a specified custom, behavior, accouterment, etc.; naturally suited to it.".

Zero misspellings are on record for to the manner born in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Coined by William Shakespeare in 1603 in Hamlet, act 1, scene 4: : But to my mind, though I am native here : And to the manner born, it is a custom : More honored in the breach than the observance. The correct English form is to the manner born, spelled T-O- -T-H-E- -M-A-N-N-E-R- -B-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Familiar or adapted as if from birth with a specified custom, behavior, accouterment, etc.; naturally suited to it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This [...] involved not only wearing certain clothes as if to the manner born, but being familiar with the gestures and the style of conversation associated with such clothes.
  2. Stephen Ward, a winger converted to emergency left-back two months ago, now looks to the manner born.

Etymology

Coined by William Shakespeare in 1603 in Hamlet, act 1, scene 4: : But to my mind, though I am native here : And to the manner born, it is a custom : More honored in the breach than the observance.

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 "to the manner born"?
"to the manner born" is spelled T-O- -T-H-E- -M-A-N-N-E-R- -B-O-R-N.
What does "to the manner born" mean?
As an adjective, "to the manner born" means: Familiar or adapted as if from birth with a specified custom, behavior, accouterment, etc.; naturally suited to it.
What is the origin of the word "to the manner born"?
Coined by William Shakespeare in 1603 in Hamlet, act 1, scene 4: : But to my mind, though I am native here : And to the manner born, it is a custom : More honored in the breach than the observance. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
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Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list