biscuit

/ˈbɪs.kɪt/

//ˈbɪs.kɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“biscuit” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,966 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,966
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small, flat, baked good which is either hard and crisp or else soft but firm; a cookie.

Key facts for biscuit
PropertyValue
Headwordbiscuit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbɪs.kɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,966
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “biscuit” 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). biscuit 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 biscuit is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈbɪs.kɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,966 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 12 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 biscuit, with forms such as "bbiscuit", "bicsuit", and "bisccuit". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Old Latin duis Early Medieval Latin bis Proto-Indo-European *pekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *pékʷeti Proto-Italic *kʷekʷō Early Medi… The correct English form is biscuit, spelled B-I-S-C-U-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small, flat, baked good which is either hard and crisp or else soft but firm; a cookie.
  2. 2
    A small, usually soft and flaky bread, generally made with baking soda, which is similar in texture to a scone but which is usually not sweet.
  3. 3
    A cracker.
  4. 4
    Any of several hard bread or breadlike foodstuffs, especially those formerly supplied to naval ships and armies, made with very little water, kneaded into flat cakes, and slowly baked, and which often became infested with weevils.
  5. 5
    A form of unglazed earthenware.
  6. 6
    A light brown colour.
  7. 7
    A thin oval wafer of wood or other material inserted into mating slots on pieces of material to be joined to provide gluing surface and strength in shear.
  8. 8
    A plastic card bearing the codes for authorizing a nuclear attack.
  9. 9
    A handgun, especially a revolver.
  10. 10
    A puck (hockey puck).
  11. 11
    The head.
  12. 12
    An inner tube used in the sport of tubing, or biscuiting.

Etymology

PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Old Latin duis Early Medieval Latin bis Proto-Indo-European *pekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *pékʷeti Proto-Italic *kʷekʷō Early Medieval Latin coquō Early Medieval Latin coctus Early Medieval Latin biscoctus Old French bescuitbor. Middle English bisquyte English biscuit From earlier bisket, from Middle English bisquyte, from Old French bescuit (French biscuit); doublet of biscotto.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbiscuit,bicsuit,bisccuit,bisciut,biscuitt,biscuti,bisscuit,bisucit,bsicuit,ibscuit

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

bbiscuit1bicsuit2bisccuit1bisciut2biscuitt1biscuti2bisscuit1bisucit2
Edit distance from "biscuit"

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 "biscuit"?
"biscuit" is spelled B-I-S-C-U-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɪs.kɪt/.
What does "biscuit" mean?
As a noun, "biscuit" means: A small, flat, baked good which is either hard and crisp or else soft but firm; a cookie.
What are common misspellings of "biscuit"?
Common misspellings include "bbiscuit", "bicsuit", "bisccuit", "bisciut", "biscuitt". The correct spelling is "biscuit".
How do you pronounce "biscuit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "biscuit" is /ˈbɪs.kɪt/. 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 "biscuit"?
PIE word *dwóh₁ Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Proto-Italic *dwis Old Latin duis Early Medieval Latin bis Proto-Indo-European *pekʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *pékʷeti Proto-Italic *kʷekʷō ... 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 “biscuit”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is B-I-S-C-U-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈbɪs.kɪt/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list