launderette
/lɔːnˈdɹɛt/
"launderette" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“launderette” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A place that has facilities for washing and drying clothes that the public may pay to use.
Corpus desk
Index EN-launderette · launderette · English
launderette · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "L" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | launderette |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /lɔːnˈdɹɛt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “launderette” in English
Rare enough to double-check
launderette is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /lɔːnˈdɹɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
launderette doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Genericized trademark of Launderette; originally a proprietary name (1940s) of Bendix corporation, from launder + -ette. The correct English form is launderette, spelled L-A-U-N-D-E-R-E-T-T-E.
Definition
- 1A place that has facilities for washing and drying clothes that the public may pay to use.
- 2A money laundering operation.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how launderette appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The distinction is by no means watertight as any 'money launderette' may become a money launderer – and hence be guilty of a money laundering offence – the moment it knowingly engages in a money laundering operation.
From drug money to terrorist finance: the launderette's many different washing cycles
Etymology
Genericized trademark of Launderette; originally a proprietary name (1940s) of Bendix corporation, from launder + -ette.
Synonyms
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.