esplanade
/ˈɛspləˌneɪd/
"esplanade" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“esplanade” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #37,916 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #37,916
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A clear space between a citadel and the nearest houses of the town.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | esplanade |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɛspləˌneɪd/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #37,916 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “esplanade” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for esplanade is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɛspləˌneɪd/. Corpus data places it at rank #37,916 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for esplanade, with forms such as "epslanade", "eslpanade", and "espalnade". 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 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: 1590s, from French esplanade (“clear, level space”), from either Spanish esplanada (explanada), form of esplanar (“to flatten, to make level”) or Italian spianata, form of spianare (of the same meaning), both from Latin explānāre, from which English explain… The correct English form is esplanade, spelled E-S-P-L-A-N-A-D-E.
Definition
- 1A clear space between a citadel and the nearest houses of the town.
- 2The glacis of the counterscarp, or the slope of the parapet of the covered way toward the country.
- 3A grass plat; a lawn.
- 4Any clear, level space used for public walks or drives; especially, a terrace by the seaside.
- 5Grassy strips between two divided highway lanes; a traffic island.
Etymology
1590s, from French esplanade (“clear, level space”), from either Spanish esplanada (explanada), form of esplanar (“to flatten, to make level”) or Italian spianata, form of spianare (of the same meaning), both from Latin explānāre, from which English explain; see also plain (“level area, to flatten”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: epslanade,eslpanade,espalnade,esplaande,esplanadde,esplanaed,esplandae,esplannade,espllanade,esplnaade,espplanade,essplanade,seplanade
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of esplanade - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "esplanade"?
What does "esplanade" mean?
What are common misspellings of "esplanade"?
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What is the origin of the word "esplanade"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “esplanade”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-S-P-L-A-N-A-D-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɛspləˌneɪd/ (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
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.