antique

/ˌanˈtiːk/

//ˌanˈtiːk// adj

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

"antique" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“antique” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,755 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,755
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

antique vs antiques
88% similar
antique vs Antigua
57% similar

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

Key facts for antique
PropertyValue
Headwordantique
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌanˈtiːk/
Letters7
Frequency rank#8,755
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “antique” sits in English 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). antique 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 English entry for antique is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌanˈtiːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,755 in overall English 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 antique, with forms such as "anitque", "anntique", and "antiqeu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "antiques", "Antigua", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French antique (“ancient, old”), from Latin antiquus (“former, earlier, ancient, old”), from ante (“before”); see ante-. Doublet of antic. The correct English form is antique, spelled A-N-T-I-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.
  2. 2
    Belonging to former times, not modern, out of date, old-fashioned.
  3. 3
    Designating a style of type.
  4. 4
    Embossed without gilt.
  5. 5
    Synonym of old (“of color: subdued, as if faded over time”).
  6. 6
    Synonym of antic, specifically
  7. 7
    Synonym of antic, specifically:

Etymology

Borrowed from French antique (“ancient, old”), from Latin antiquus (“former, earlier, ancient, old”), from ante (“before”); see ante-. Doublet of antic.

Synonyms

antiquateddisusedoutdatedobsolete

This word in other languages

antiguo(Español)ancien(Français)antik(Deutsch)antigo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: anitque,anntique,antiqeu,antiqque,antiuqe,antqiue,anttique,atnique,natique

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of antique - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

anitque2anntique1antiqeu2antiqque1antiuqe2antqiue2anttique1atnique2
Edit distance from "antique"

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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "antique"?
"antique" is spelled A-N-T-I-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌanˈtiːk/.
What does "antique" mean?
As an adjective, "antique" means: Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; used especially in reference to Greece and Rome.
What words are commonly confused with "antique"?
"antique" is commonly confused with "antiques", "Antigua". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "antique"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "antique" is /ˌanˈtiːk/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "antique"?
Borrowed from French antique (“ancient, old”), from Latin antiquus (“former, earlier, ancient, old”), from ante (“before”); see ante-. Doublet of antic. See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “antique”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-N-T-I-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌanˈtiːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “antiques” - see the side-by-side comparison. antique vs antiques
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English 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