blanket

/ˈblæŋkɪt/

//ˈblæŋkɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“blanket” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #6,336. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#6,336
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-blanket · blanket · English

blanket · rank #6,336 · 11 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,336
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bio

Nearest frequency peer: bio (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “blanket”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “blanket” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

blanket vs bracket
71% similar
blanket vs blankly
71% similar
blanket vs blankets
88% similar

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

Key facts for blanket
PropertyValue
Headwordblanket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈblæŋkɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,336
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “blanket” 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). blanket lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around blanket (IPA /ˈblæŋkɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #6,336 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for blanket, with forms such as "balnket", "bblanket", and "blaknet". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "bracket", "blankly", "blankets", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blan… The correct English form is blanket, spelled B-L-A-N-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
  2. 2
    A covering layer of anything.
  3. 3
    A thick rubber mat used in the offset printing process to transfer ink from the plate to the paper being printed.
  4. 4
    A streak or layer of blubber in whales.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The baby was cold, so his mother put a blanket over him.
  2. The little boys in the front bedroom had thrown off their blankets and lay under the sheets.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminutive of blanc (“white”), of Germanic origin (compare Old English blanca (“white horse”); see more at blank). Furthermore, the sense "white woollen cloth" is likely a calque of Old English hwītel (“blanket; cloak, mantle”), from Old English hwīt (“white”) + -el (diminutive suffix). Compare also Old Norse hvítill (“a white bed-cover, sheet”), Norwegian kvitel (“blanket”). Compare also blunket, plunket. Displaced native Middle English whytel, from Old English hwītel (whence Modern English whittle (“blanket, cloak, shawl”)).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • balnket
  • bblanket
  • blaknet
  • blanekt
  • blankett
  • blankket
  • blankte
  • blannket
  • bllanket
  • blnaket
  • lbanket

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

balnket2bblanket1blaknet2blanekt2blankett1blankket1blankte2blannket1
Edit distance from "blanket"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "blanket"?
"blanket" is spelled B-L-A-N-K-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈblæŋkɪt/.
What does "blanket" mean?
As a noun, "blanket" means: A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
What words are commonly confused with "blanket"?
"blanket" is commonly confused with "bracket", "blankly", "blankets". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "blanket"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "blanket" is /ˈblæŋkɪt/. 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 "blanket"?
Inherited from Middle English blanket, blonket, blaunket, from Old Northern French blanket, blancet (“white horse", also "white woollen cloth or flannel; a type of jacket”, literally “that which is white”) (whence Modern French blanchet), diminuti... 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 "blanket", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "blanket". Here's where to go from here.

  • "blanket" maps to 12 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "bracket". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #6,336 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "B" letter cohort. B–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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