banquet

/ˈbæŋkwɪt/

//ˈbæŋkwɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“banquet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,098 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,098
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large celebratory meal; a feast.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

banquet vs Basque
57% similar
banquet vs bouquet
71% similar

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

Key facts for banquet
PropertyValue
Headwordbanquet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbæŋkwɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#13,098
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “banquet” 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). banquet 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 banquet is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbæŋkwɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,098 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for banquet, with forms such as "abnquet", "bannquet", and "banqeut". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Basque", "bouquet", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English banket, from Middle French banquet, from Italian banchetto (“light repast between meals, snack eaten on a small bench”, literally “a small bench”), from banco (“bench”), from Lombardic *bank, *panch (“bench”), from Proto-Germanic *bankiz… The correct English form is banquet, spelled B-A-N-Q-U-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large celebratory meal; a feast.
  2. 2
    A ceremonial dinner party for many people.
  3. 3
    A dessert; a course of sweetmeats.

Etymology

From Middle English banket, from Middle French banquet, from Italian banchetto (“light repast between meals, snack eaten on a small bench”, literally “a small bench”), from banco (“bench”), from Lombardic *bank, *panch (“bench”), from Proto-Germanic *bankiz (“bench”). Akin to Old High German bank, banch (“bench”), Old English benċ (“bench”). More at bank, bench. The unetymological /w/ resulted from spelling-pronunciation.

This word in other languages

banquete(Español)banquet(Français)Festmahl(Deutsch)banquete(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: abnquet,bannquet,banqeut,banqquet,banquett,banqute,banuqet,baqnuet,bbanquet,bnaquet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of banquet - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abnquet2bannquet1banqeut2banqquet1banquett1banqute2banuqet2baqnuet2
Edit distance from "banquet"

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 "banquet"?
"banquet" is spelled B-A-N-Q-U-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbæŋkwɪt/.
What does "banquet" mean?
As a noun, "banquet" means: A large celebratory meal; a feast.
What words are commonly confused with "banquet"?
"banquet" is commonly confused with "Basque", "bouquet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "banquet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "banquet" is /ˈbæŋkwɪt/. 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 "banquet"?
From Middle English banket, from Middle French banquet, from Italian banchetto (“light repast between meals, snack eaten on a small bench”, literally “a small bench”), from banco (“bench”), from Lombardic *bank, *panch (“bench”), from Proto-German... 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 “banquet”

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

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