manche

\mɑ̃ʃ\

/\mɑ̃ʃ\/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“manche” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,085 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,085
frequency rank, French
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Partie du vêtement, de forme et de dimension variable, dans laquelle on passe le bras et qui le recouvre en totalité ou en partie.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

manche vs mane
67% similar
manche vs match
67% similar
manche vs mange
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for manche
PropertyValue
Headwordmanche
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\mɑ̃ʃ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,085
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “manche” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). manche lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for manche is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \mɑ̃ʃ\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,085 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for manche, with forms such as "amnche", "macnhe", and "mancche". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mane", "match", "mange", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is manche, spelled M-A-N-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Partie du vêtement, de forme et de dimension variable, dans laquelle on passe le bras et qui le recouvre en totalité ou en partie.
  2. 2
    Conduit d’évacuation, tuyau à liquide ou à gaz.
  3. 3
    Manche à air : drapeau creux indiquant le vent sur les aéroports.
  4. 4
    Filet de pêche long d’une dizaine de mètres et fermé à une extrémité.
  5. 5
    Bras de mer, et particulièrement le bras de mer séparant l’Angleterre de la France (la Manche).
  6. 6
    Partie liée à une ou plusieurs autre(s) dans certains jeux.
  7. 7
    Meuble représentant une manche d’un vêtement dans les armoiries. Plutôt en usage en héraldique anglaise, elle est représentée sans membre humain. Elle est généralement dénommée manche mal-taillée en héraldique française car la forme du vêtement s’est perdue au fil du temps pour adopter une forme souvent peu reconnaissable.

Synonyms

bras de chemise

This word in other languages

sleeve(English)manga(Español)Ärmel(Deutsch)manga(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amnche,macnhe,mancche,manceh,manchhe,manhce,mannche,mmanche,mnache

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of manche - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amnche2macnhe2mancche1manceh2manchhe1manhce2mannche1mmanche1
Edit distance from "manche"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "manche"?
"manche" is spelled M-A-N-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is \mɑ̃ʃ\.
What does "manche" mean?
As a noun, "manche" means: Partie du vêtement, de forme et de dimension variable, dans laquelle on passe le bras et qui le recouvre en totalité ou en partie.
What words are commonly confused with "manche"?
"manche" is commonly confused with "mane", "match", "mange". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "manche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "manche" is \mɑ̃ʃ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "manche" come from?
"manche" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “manche”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-N-C-H-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \mɑ̃ʃ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mane” - see the side-by-side comparison. manche vs mane
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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