bain-marie

/ˌbænməˈriː/

//ˌbænməˈriː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“bain-marie” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
10
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large pan containing hot water, into which other smaller pans are set in order to cook food slowly, or to keep food warm.

Key facts for bain-marie
PropertyValue
Headwordbain-marie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌbænməˈriː/
Letters10
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “bain-marie” sits in English frequency

bain-marie falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

bain-marie is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌbænməˈriː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for bain-marie, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French bain-marie, from Medieval Latin balneum Mariae (literally “Maria's bath”). The correct English form is bain-marie, spelled B-A-I-N---M-A-R-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large pan containing hot water, into which other smaller pans are set in order to cook food slowly, or to keep food warm.
  2. 2
    A unit comprising an array of such pans.

Etymology

Borrowed from French bain-marie, from Medieval Latin balneum Mariae (literally “Maria's bath”).

Synonyms

water bathsteam tabledouble boiler

This word in other languages

baño maría(Español)Bain-Marie(Deutsch)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "bain-marie"?
"bain-marie" is spelled B-A-I-N---M-A-R-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌbænməˈriː/.
What does "bain-marie" mean?
As a noun, "bain-marie" means: A large pan containing hot water, into which other smaller pans are set in order to cook food slowly, or to keep food warm.
How do you pronounce "bain-marie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "bain-marie" is /ˌbænməˈriː/. 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 "bain-marie"?
Borrowed from French bain-marie, from Medieval Latin balneum Mariae (literally “Maria's bath”). 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 “bain-marie”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-I-N---M-A-R-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌbænməˈriː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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