emmet

/ˈɛmɪt/

//ˈɛmɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“emmet” sits in 12 confusable pairs (corpus #34,042) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#34,042
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-emmet · emmet · English

emmet · rank #34,042 · 3 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,042
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH Englishmen

Nearest frequency peer: Englishmen (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “emmet”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “emmet” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

emmet vs EMT
0% similar
emmet vs Emmy
40% similar
emmet vs Esme
40% similar

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

Key facts for emmet
PropertyValue
Headwordemmet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɛmɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,042
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “emmet”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).emmetlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Englishmen” (#34,043), “emblematic” (#34,040), “enslavement” (#34,044). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “emmet” is #34,042. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for emmet is neighbouring look-alikes ("EMT", "Emmy", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈɛmɪt/. Frequency #34,042 among 2,246 “E” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for emmet, with forms such as "ememt", "emmte", and "memet". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "EMT", "Emmy", "Esme", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English emete, from Old English ǣmete, (bef. 12c) Doublet of ant. The correct English form is emmet, spelled E-M-M-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ant.
  2. 2
    A tourist.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He told him that he saw a vast multitude and a promiscuous, their habitations like molehills, the men as emmets […]
  2. 1666, Dr. Edmund King, Philosophical Transactions (1665-1678) Observations Concerning Emmets or Ants, Their Eggs, Production, Progress, Coming to Maturity, Use, &c

Etymology

From Middle English emete, from Old English ǣmete, (bef. 12c) Doublet of ant.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ememt
  • emmte
  • memet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ememt2emmte2memet2
Edit distance from "emmet"

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 "emmet"?
"emmet" is spelled E-M-M-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɛmɪt/.
What does "emmet" mean?
As a noun, "emmet" means: An ant.
What words are commonly confused with "emmet"?
"emmet" is commonly confused with "EMT", "Emmy", "Esme". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "emmet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "emmet" is /ˈɛmɪt/. 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 "emmet"?
From Middle English emete, from Old English ǣmete, (bef. 12c) Doublet of ant. 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 "emmet", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

flaky#34,058gamut#34,072coups#33,995Haifa#34,093

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list