burlesque

/bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk/

//bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"burlesque" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“burlesque” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,304. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,304
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Parodical; parodic

Corpus desk

Index EN-burlesque · burlesque · English

burlesque · rank #25,304 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,304
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH brazen

Nearest frequency peer: brazen (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “burlesque”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “burlesque” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for burlesque
PropertyValue
Headwordburlesque
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk/
Letters9
Frequency rank#25,304
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “burlesque”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).burlesquelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “brazen” (#25,303), “burrow” (#25,305), “bpd” (#25,302). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “burlesque” is #25,304. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around burlesque (IPA /bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,304 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Parodical; parodic".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for burlesque, with forms such as "bburlesque", "brulesque", and "bulresque". 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, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French burlesque, from Italian burlesco (“parodic”). The correct English form is burlesque, spelled B-U-R-L-E-S-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Parodical; parodic

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is a dispute among the critics, whether burlesque poetry runs best in heroic verse, like that of the Dispensary, or in doggerel, like that of Hudibras.
  2. Podunk. A term applied to an imaginary place in burlesque writing or speaking.

Etymology

Borrowed from French burlesque, from Italian burlesco (“parodic”).

This word in other languages

burlesque(Français)burlesk(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bburlesque
  • brulesque
  • bulresque
  • burelsque
  • burleqsue
  • burlesqeu
  • burlesqque
  • burlessque
  • burlesuqe
  • burllesque
  • burlseque
  • burrlesque
  • ubrlesque

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of burlesque - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bburlesque1brulesque2bulresque2burelsque2burleqsue2burlesqeu2burlesqque1burlessque1
Edit distance from "burlesque"

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 "burlesque"?
"burlesque" is spelled B-U-R-L-E-S-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk/.
What does "burlesque" mean?
As an adjective, "burlesque" means: Parodical; parodic
What are common misspellings of "burlesque"?
Common misspellings include "bburlesque", "brulesque", "bulresque", "burelsque", "burleqsue". The correct spelling is "burlesque".
How do you pronounce "burlesque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "burlesque" is /bə(ɹ)ˈlɛsk/. 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 "burlesque"?
Borrowed from French burlesque, from Italian burlesco (“parodic”). 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 "burlesque", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

causation#25,315ballerina#25,291chameleon#25,317audiobook#25,286

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

attainable13 variantsConfucius13 variantsactuality13 variantsacoustics13 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list