market

/ˈmɑːkɪt/

//ˈmɑːkɪt// noun

"market" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“market” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #513 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#513
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A gathering of people for the purchase and sale of merchandise, often periodic at a set time.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

market vs mart
67% similar
market vs marks
67% similar
market vs Marko
50% similar

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

Key facts for market
PropertyValue
Headwordmarket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑːkɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#513
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “market” 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). market lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for market is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmɑːkɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #513 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for market, with forms such as "amrket", "makret", and "marekt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mart", "marks", "Marko", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English market, from late Old English market (“market”) and Anglo-Norman markiet (Old French marchié); all ultimately from Latin mercātus (“trade, market”), from mercor (“to trade, deal in, buy”), itself derived from merx (“wares, merchandise”).… The correct English form is market, spelled M-A-R-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A gathering of people for the purchase and sale of merchandise, often periodic at a set time.
  2. 2
    A relatively spacious outdoor or covered site where traders set up stalls, either temporarily or permanently or semi-permanently, and buyers browse the merchandise.
  3. 3
    Any physical store selling groceries, such as a grocery store or convenience store.
  4. 4
    A group of potential or current customers for one's product.
  5. 5
    A geographical area or region where a certain commercial demand exists.
  6. 6
    A formally organized, sometimes monopolistic, system of trading in specified goods or effects.
  7. 7
    The sum total traded in a process of individuals trading for certain commodities.
  8. 8
    The price for which a thing is sold in a market; hence, value or worth; market value.

Etymology

From Middle English market, from late Old English market (“market”) and Anglo-Norman markiet (Old French marchié); all ultimately from Latin mercātus (“trade, market”), from mercor (“to trade, deal in, buy”), itself derived from merx (“wares, merchandise”). Cognate with West Frisian merk (“market”), Dutch markt, Old High German Markt, German Markt, Danish and Norwegian marked (“market”), Faroese and Icelandic markaður (“market”), Swedish marknad (“market”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amrket,makret,marekt,markett,markket,markte,marrket,mmarket,mraket

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of market - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

amrket2makret2marekt2markett1markket1markte2marrket1mmarket1
Edit distance from "market"

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 "market"?
"market" is spelled M-A-R-K-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑːkɪt/.
What does "market" mean?
As a noun, "market" means: A gathering of people for the purchase and sale of merchandise, often periodic at a set time.
What words are commonly confused with "market"?
"market" is commonly confused with "mart", "marks", "Marko". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "market"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "market" is /ˈmɑːkɪt/. 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 "market"?
From Middle English market, from late Old English market (“market”) and Anglo-Norman markiet (Old French marchié); all ultimately from Latin mercātus (“trade, market”), from mercor (“to trade, deal in, buy”), itself derived from merx (“wares, merc... 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 “market”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-R-K-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmɑːkɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mart” - see the side-by-side comparison. market vs mart
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list