blanket

/ˈblæŋkɪt/

//ˈblæŋkɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“blanket” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,336 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,336
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for blanket is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈblæŋkɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,336 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “blanket”

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

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