bequeath
/bɪˈkwiːθ/
"bequeath" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“bequeath” is an uncommon English word, ranked #54,643 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #54,643
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To give or leave by will; to give by testament.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | bequeath |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /bɪˈkwiːθ/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #54,643 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “bequeath” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for bequeath is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /bɪˈkwiːθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #54,643 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.
Zero misspellings are on record for bequeath in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English biquethen, from Old English becweþan (“to say, to speak, to address, exhort, admonish, blame, bequeath, leave by will”), equivalent to be- + quethe. Cognate with Old Frisian biquetha. The correct English form is bequeath, spelled B-E-Q-U-E-A-T-H.
Definition
- 1To give or leave by will; to give by testament.
- 2To hand down; to transmit.
- 3To give; to offer; to commit.
Etymology
From Middle English biquethen, from Old English becweþan (“to say, to speak, to address, exhort, admonish, blame, bequeath, leave by will”), equivalent to be- + quethe. Cognate with Old Frisian biquetha.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
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
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Using “bequeath”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is B-E-Q-U-E-A-T-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /bɪˈkwiːθ/ (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.