beacon

/ˈbiːkən/

//ˈbiːkən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“beacon” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,497. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,497
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-beacon · beacon · English

beacon · rank #10,497 · 8 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,497
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH baggage

Nearest frequency peer: baggage (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “beacon”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “beacon” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

beacon vs bean
67% similar
beacon vs beaten
67% similar
beacon vs Benson
50% similar

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

Key facts for beacon
PropertyValue
Headwordbeacon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbiːkən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,497
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “beacon”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).beaconlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “baggage” (#10,496), “Bella” (#10,498), “belts” (#10,499). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “beacon” is #10,497. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around beacon (IPA /ˈbiːkən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,497 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for beacon, with forms such as "baecon", "bbeacon", and "beaccon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "bean", "beaten", "Benson", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“b… The correct English form is beacon, spelled B-E-A-C-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
  2. 2
    A signal, buoy, post, or other conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners, particularly to warn vessels of danger.
  3. 3
    A high hill or other easily distinguishable object near the shore which can serve as guidance for seafarers.
  4. 4
    That which gives notice of danger, hope, etc., or keeps people on the correct path; a source of inspiration.
  5. 5
    An electronic device that broadcasts a signal to nearby portable devices, enabling smartphones etc. to perform actions when in physical proximity to the beacon.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of web beacon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No flaming Beacons caſt their Blaze afar, / The dreadful Signal of invaſive VVar.
  2. Henceforth, wherever thou may’st roam, / ⁠My blessing, like a line of light, / ⁠Is on the waters day and night, / And like a beacon guards thee home.

Etymology

From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch baken (“beacon”), Middle Low German bāke (“beacon, sign”), German Bake (“traffic sign”), Middle High German bouchen (“sign”).

This word in other languages

baliza(Español)balise(Français)Leuchtfeuer(Deutsch)farol(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • baecon
  • bbeacon
  • beaccon
  • beacno
  • beaconn
  • beaocn
  • becaon
  • ebacon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

baecon2bbeacon1beaccon1beacno2beaconn1beaocn2becaon2ebacon2
Edit distance from "beacon"

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 "beacon"?
"beacon" is spelled B-E-A-C-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbiːkən/.
What does "beacon" mean?
As a noun, "beacon" means: A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
What words are commonly confused with "beacon"?
"beacon" is commonly confused with "bean", "beaten", "Benson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "beacon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "beacon" is /ˈbiːkən/. 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 "beacon"?
From Middle English beken, from Old English bēacn (“sign, signal”), from Proto-West Germanic *baukn, from Proto-Germanic *baukną, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeh₂u-, *bʰeh₂- (“to shine”). Doublet of buoy. Compare West Frisian beaken (“buoy”), Dutch... 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 "beacon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bounty#10,500cereal#10,508chased#10,510clergy#10,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

baggage8 variantsbelts8 variantsAlexis8 variantsunsure8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list