maniac

\ˈmeɪniˌæk\

/\ˈmeɪniˌæk\/ noun

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

The verdict

“maniac” is uncommon French (frequency #73,335 among 202,672 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,335
frequency rank, French
202,672
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Maniaque.

Key facts for maniac
PropertyValue
Headwordmaniac
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ˈmeɪniˌæk\
Letters6
Frequency rank#73,335
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “maniac” 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). maniac lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

maniac is uncommon French at frequency #73,335 among 202,672 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed \ˈmeɪniˌæk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Maniaque.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for maniac, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is maniac, spelled M-A-N-I-A-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    Maniaque.

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 "maniac"?
"maniac" is spelled M-A-N-I-A-C. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈmeɪniˌæk\.
What does "maniac" mean?
As a noun, "maniac" means: Maniaque.
How do you pronounce "maniac"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "maniac" is \ˈmeɪniˌæk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "maniac" come from?
"maniac" 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 “maniac”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is M-A-N-I-A-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ˈmeɪniˌæk\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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