genet

/ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt/

//ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“genet” is uncommon English (frequency #58,046 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,046
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.

Key facts for genet
PropertyValue
Headwordgenet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#58,046
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “genet” 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). genet 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

genet is uncommon English at frequency #58,046 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for genet, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin. The correct English form is genet, spelled G-E-N-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.
  2. 2
    The fur of this mammal, or any skin dressed in imitation of it.

Etymology

From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin.

This word in other languages

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 "genet"?
"genet" is spelled G-E-N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt/.
What does "genet" mean?
As a noun, "genet" means: Any of several Old World nocturnal, carnivorous mammals, of the genus Genetta, most of which have a spotted coat and a long, ringed tail.
How do you pronounce "genet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "genet" is /ˈd͡ʒɛnɪt/. 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 "genet"?
From Middle English genet, ionet, from Anglo-Norman genette, Middle French genette, jenette et al., of uncertain origin. 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 “genet”

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

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