cirque

/sɜːk/

//sɜːk// noun

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

"cirque" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cirque” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #30,366 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#30,366
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A Roman circus.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cirque vs clique
67% similar
cirque vs cirrus
67% similar
cirque vs circle
67% similar

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

Key facts for cirque
PropertyValue
Headwordcirque
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɜːk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#30,366
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cirque” 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). cirque 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 cirque is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɜːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #30,366 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cirque, with forms such as "ccirque", "ciqrue", and "cirqeu". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "clique", "cirrus", "circle", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cirque (“circular arena; cirque”), from Latin circus (“circle, ring”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring; racecourse, circus”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). Doublet of circus. The correct English form is cirque, spelled C-I-R-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A Roman circus.
  2. 2
    A curved depression or natural amphitheatre, especially one in a mountainside at the end of a valley.
  3. 3
    Something in the shape of a circle or ring.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cirque (“circular arena; cirque”), from Latin circus (“circle, ring”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring; racecourse, circus”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). Doublet of circus.

This word in other languages

cirque(Français)Kar(Deutsch)circo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccirque,ciqrue,cirqeu,cirqque,cirrque,ciruqe,crique,icrque

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccirque1ciqrue2cirqeu2cirqque1cirrque1ciruqe2crique2icrque2
Edit distance from "cirque"

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 "cirque"?
"cirque" is spelled C-I-R-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /sɜːk/.
What does "cirque" mean?
As a noun, "cirque" means: A Roman circus.
What words are commonly confused with "cirque"?
"cirque" is commonly confused with "clique", "cirrus", "circle". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cirque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cirque" is /sɜːk/. 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 "cirque"?
Borrowed from French cirque (“circular arena; cirque”), from Latin circus (“circle, ring”), from Ancient Greek κίρκος (kírkos, “circle, ring; racecourse, circus”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend; to turn”). Doublet... 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 “cirque”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-I-R-Q-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɜːk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “clique” - see the side-by-side comparison. cirque vs clique
  • 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