egret

/ˈiːɡɹɪt/

//ˈiːɡɹɪt// noun

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

"egret" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“egret” is uncommon English (frequency #65,084 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,084
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.

Key facts for egret
PropertyValue
Headwordegret
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈiːɡɹɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#65,084
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “egret” 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). egret lands here:

#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

egret is uncommon English at frequency #65,084 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈiːɡɹɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for egret in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman egret, aigrette (“egret”), from Old Occitan aigreta, diminutive of aigron (“heron”), from Medieval Latin hairo, from Frankish *haigro (“heron”). Cognate with Old High German heigaro (“heron”), Old English hrāgra (“hero… The correct English form is egret, spelled E-G-R-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.
  2. 2
    A plume or tuft of feathers worn as a part of a headdress, or anything imitating such an ornament.
  3. 3
    The flying feathery or hairy crown of seeds or achenes, such as the down of the thistle.
  4. 4
    The crab-eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis)

Etymology

From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman egret, aigrette (“egret”), from Old Occitan aigreta, diminutive of aigron (“heron”), from Medieval Latin hairo, from Frankish *haigro (“heron”). Cognate with Old High German heigaro (“heron”), Old English hrāgra (“heron”). Doublet of aigrette. More at heron.

This word in other languages

garza(Español)aigrette(Français)Reiher(Deutsch)garça(Português)

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 "egret"?
"egret" is spelled E-G-R-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈiːɡɹɪt/.
What does "egret" mean?
As a noun, "egret" means: Any of various wading birds of the genera Egretta or Ardea that includes herons, many of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season.
How do you pronounce "egret"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "egret" is /ˈiːɡɹɪt/. 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 "egret"?
From Middle English, from Anglo-Norman egret, aigrette (“egret”), from Old Occitan aigreta, diminutive of aigron (“heron”), from Medieval Latin hairo, from Frankish *haigro (“heron”). Cognate with Old High German heigaro (“heron”), Old English hrā... 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 “egret”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is E-G-R-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈiːɡɹɪt/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list