marquee

/mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/

//mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː// noun

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

"marquee" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“marquee” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,031. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,031
frequency rank, English
36,575
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A large tent with open sides, used for outdoors entertainment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

marquee vs masque
71% similar
marquee vs marquis
71% similar
marquee vs marquess
75% similar

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

Key facts for marquee
PropertyValue
Headwordmarquee
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,031
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “marquee” 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). marquee lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around marquee (IPA /mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,031 among 36,575 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for marquee, with forms such as "amrquee", "maqruee", and "marqeue". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "masque", "marquis", "marquess", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From marquise, from French marquise. Ultimately from same root as march (“border country”), margin (“edge”). Ultimately cognate with marque. The correct English form is marquee, spelled M-A-R-Q-U-E-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large tent with open sides, used for outdoors entertainment.
  2. 2
    A projecting canopy over an entrance, especially one with a sign that displays the name of the establishment or other information of it.
  3. 3
    Lights that turn on and off in sequence, or scrolling text, as these are common elements on a marquee.
  4. 4
    An illuminated panel that appears above the screen/playfield of an arcade game, typically displaying the game's title and manufacturer.
  5. 5
    A banner on a web page displaying text that scrolls horizontally.
  6. 6
    In graphical editing software, a special selection tool, used to highlight a portion of an image.

Etymology

From marquise, from French marquise. Ultimately from same root as march (“border country”), margin (“edge”). Ultimately cognate with marque.

This word in other languages

barnum(Français)Festzelt(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrquee
  • maqruee
  • marqeue
  • marqquee
  • marrquee
  • maruqee
  • mmarquee
  • mraquee

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marquee - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amrquee2maqruee2marqeue2marqquee1marrquee1maruqee2mmarquee1mraquee2
Edit distance from "marquee"

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 "marquee"?
"marquee" is spelled M-A-R-Q-U-E-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/.
What does "marquee" mean?
As a noun, "marquee" means: A large tent with open sides, used for outdoors entertainment.
What words are commonly confused with "marquee"?
"marquee" is commonly confused with "masque", "marquis", "marquess". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marquee"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marquee" is /mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/. 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 "marquee"?
From marquise, from French marquise. Ultimately from same root as march (“border country”), margin (“edge”). Ultimately cognate with marque. 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 “marquee”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is M-A-R-Q-U-E-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mɑː(ɹ)ˈkiː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “masque” - see the side-by-side comparison. marquee vs masque
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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