banner

/ˈbænə/

//ˈbænə// noun

"banner" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“banner” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,857 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,857
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A flag or standard used by a military commander, monarch or nation.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

banner vs Bauer
50% similar
banner vs Bayer
50% similar
banner vs boner
67% similar

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

Key facts for banner
PropertyValue
Headwordbanner
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbænə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,857
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “banner” 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). banner 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 banner is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbænə/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,857 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for banner, with forms such as "abnner", "banenr", and "baner". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Bauer", "Bayer", "boner", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band. The correct English form is banner, spelled B-A-N-N-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A flag or standard used by a military commander, monarch or nation.
  2. 2
    The military unit under such a flag or standard.
  3. 3
    A military or administrative subdivision.
  4. 4
    Any large sign, especially when made of soft material or fabric.
  5. 5
    A large piece of cloth with a slogan, motto, or emblem carried in a demonstration or other procession or suspended in some conspicuous place.
  6. 6
    A cause or purpose; a campaign or movement.
  7. 7
    The title of a newspaper as printed on its front page; the nameplate; masthead.
  8. 8
    A type of advertisement on a web page or on television, usually taking the form of a graphic or animation above or alongside the content.
  9. 9
    The principal standard of a knight.
  10. 10
    A type of administrative division in Inner Mongolia and Tuva, made during the Qing dynasty; at that time, Outer Mongolia and part of Xinjiang were also divided into banners.

Etymology

From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abnner,banenr,baner,bannerr,bannre,bbanner,bnaner

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of banner - 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.

abnner2banenr2baner1bannerr1bannre2bbanner1bnaner2
Edit distance from "banner"

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 "banner"?
"banner" is spelled B-A-N-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbænə/.
What does "banner" mean?
As a noun, "banner" means: A flag or standard used by a military commander, monarch or nation.
What words are commonly confused with "banner"?
"banner" is commonly confused with "Bauer", "Bayer", "boner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "banner"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "banner" is /ˈbænə/. 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 "banner"?
From Middle English baner, from Old French baniere (Modern bannière), of Germanic origin. More at band. 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 “banner”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-A-N-N-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbænə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Bauer” - see the side-by-side comparison. banner vs Bauer
  • 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