mano de obra

[ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa]

/[ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa]/ phrase

The verdict

“mano de obra” is outside the top-ranked Spanish vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency Spanish
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Trabajo manual que se emplea para hacer una obra, independiente de los materiales y de la traza y dirección.

Key facts for mano de obra
PropertyValue
Headwordmano de obra
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechPhrase
IPA[ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa]
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mano de obra” sits in Spanish frequency

mano de obra falls outside the top-100,000 ranked Spanish 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for mano de obra is 12 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa]. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Trabajo manual que se emplea para hacer una obra, independiente de los materiales y de la traza y dirección.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mano de obra, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable Spanish rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is mano de obra, spelled M-A-N-O- -D-E- -O-B-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Trabajo manual que se emplea para hacer una obra, independiente de los materiales y de la traza y dirección.

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 "mano de obra"?
"mano de obra" is spelled M-A-N-O- -D-E- -O-B-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa].
What does "mano de obra" mean?
As a phrase, "mano de obra" means: Trabajo manual que se emplea para hacer una obra, independiente de los materiales y de la traza y dirección.
How do you pronounce "mano de obra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mano de obra" is [ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mano de obra" come from?
"mano de obra" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “mano de obra”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is M-A-N-O- -D-E- -O-B-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈmano ð̞e ˈoβ̞ɾa] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list