Mayonnaise, denoting the condiment made of egg yolk, oil, and lemon juice or vinegar, is commonly misspelled. Mayonaise, mayonnaisse, mayonaisse, and mahonnaise (the French spelling) are listed in none of the dozen or so dictionaries we checked.
The shortened mayo works in a pinch.
Examples
Misspelling of mayonnaise is common on the web—for example:
Patatas bravas consists of potato cubes with alioli (similar to garlic mayonaise) and paprika. [Patch]
Chicagoans don’t put mayonaise on their hotdogs, but Brownsvillians do . . . [Brownsville Herald]
But most get it right—for example:
Whisk garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Take, for example, the difficulties many face opening pots of jam or mayonnaise. [Irish Times]
When the last bit of oil is in the mix, you’ve got mayonnaise. [The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]
