arabesque

/ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk/

//ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk// noun

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

"arabesque" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“arabesque” is uncommon English (frequency #64,891 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#64,891
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures or complex geometrical patterns, mainly used in Islamic art and architecture.

Corpus desk

Index EN-arabesque · arabesque · English

arabesque · rank #64,891 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #64,891
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Arielle

Nearest frequency peer: Arielle (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “arabesque”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “arabesque” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for arabesque
PropertyValue
Headwordarabesque
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#64,891
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “arabesque” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).arabesquefalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Arielle” (#64,892), “arthroscopic” (#64,893), “Anse” (#64,887). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “arabesque” is #64,891. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

arabesque is uncommon English at frequency #64,891 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for arabesque, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French arabesque, from Italian arabesco, from arabo (“Arab”). By surface analysis, Arab + -esque. The correct English form is arabesque, spelled A-R-A-B-E-S-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures or complex geometrical patterns, mainly used in Islamic art and architecture.
  2. 2
    An ornate composition, especially for the piano.
  3. 3
    A dance position in which the dancer stands on one leg, with the other raised backwards, and the arms outstretched.
  4. 4
    Elaborate or ornate creations in general.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how arabesque appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The house of Ruthven was a small but ultra-modern limestone affair, between Madison and Fifth ;[…]. As a matter of fact its narrow ornate façade presented not a single quiet space that the eyes might rest on after a tiring attempt to follow and codify the arabesques, foliations, and intricate vermiculations of what some disrespectfully dubbed as “ near-ai…
  2. It was a sort of scene which Adam had beheld almost weekly for years; he knew by heart every arabesque flourish in the framed specimen of Bartle Massey’s handwriting which hung over the schoolmaster’s head, by way of keeping a lofty ideal before the minds of his pupils; […].

Etymology

Borrowed from French arabesque, from Italian arabesco, from arabo (“Arab”). By surface analysis, Arab + -esque.

This word in other languages

arabesco(Español)arabesque(Français)Arabeske(Deutsch)arabesco(Português)

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 "arabesque"?
"arabesque" is spelled A-R-A-B-E-S-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk/.
What does "arabesque" mean?
As a noun, "arabesque" means: An elaborate design of intertwined floral figures or complex geometrical patterns, mainly used in Islamic art and architecture.
How do you pronounce "arabesque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arabesque" is /ˌæɹ.əˈbɛsk/. 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 "arabesque"?
Borrowed from French arabesque, from Italian arabesco, from arabo (“Arab”). By surface analysis, Arab + -esque. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "arabesque", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

adulterer#64,867Ackermann#64,863Abernethy#64,859birdhouse#64,931

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list