botnet

Name: botnet, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈbɒtnɛt/

//ˈbɒtnɛt// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“botnet” is uncommon English (frequency #52,818 among 31,241 “B” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,818
frequency rank, English: 31,241
“B” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A collection of compromised computers that is gradually built up and then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam.

Key facts for botnet
Property	Value
Headword	botnet
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈbɒtnɛt/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#52,818
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “botnet” 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). botnet lands here:

#52,818

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

botnet is uncommon English at frequency #52,818 among 31,241 “B” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈbɒtnɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for botnet in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos Proto-Balto-Slavic *árbas Proto-Slavic *orbъ Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Balto-Slavic *-éitei Proto-Slavic *-iti Proto-Slavic… The correct English form is botnet, spelled B-O-T-N-E-T.

Definition

1
A collection of compromised computers that is gradually built up and then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam.
2
spyware

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃erbʰ- Proto-Indo-European *-os Proto-Indo-European *h₃órbʰos Proto-Balto-Slavic *árbas Proto-Slavic *orbъ Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Balto-Slavic *-éitei Proto-Slavic *-iti Proto-Slavic *orbiti Proto-Indo-European *-otéh₂ Proto-Balto-Slavic *-atā́ˀ Proto-Slavic *-ota Proto-Slavic *orbota Old Czech robota Czech robota Czech robotbor. English robot English bot Proto-Indo-European *neHd- Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Germanic *natją Proto-West Germanic *nati Old English nett Middle English net English net English botnet From bot + net.

This word in other languages

botnet(Français)

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 "botnet"?

"botnet" is spelled B-O-T-N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbɒtnɛt/.

What does "botnet" mean?

As a noun, "botnet" means: A collection of compromised computers that is gradually built up and then unleashed as a DDOS attack or used to send very large quantities of spam.

How do you pronounce "botnet"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "botnet" is /ˈbɒtnɛt/. 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 "botnet"?

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 “botnet”

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

The one correct English spelling is B-O-T-N-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈbɒtnɛt/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.