marquis

/ˈmɑː.kwɪs/

//ˈmɑː.kwɪs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“marquis” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,073. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,073
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke, but above a count. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the king...

Corpus desk

Index EN-marquis · marquis · English

marquis · rank #16,073 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,073
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mara

Nearest frequency peer: mara (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “marquis”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “marquis” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

marquis vs marquise
88% similar
marquis vs Maris
57% similar
marquis vs Marcus
57% similar

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

Key facts for marquis
PropertyValue
Headwordmarquis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɑː.kwɪs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#16,073
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “marquis”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).marquislands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “mara” (#16,072), “mayhem” (#16,074), “mens” (#16,075). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “marquis” is #16,073. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around marquis (IPA /ˈmɑː.kwɪs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,073 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for marquis, with forms such as "amrquis", "maqruis", and "marqius". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "marquise", "Maris", "Marcus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English markis, from Old French markis, marchis, from Late Latin marchensis, from Old High German marcha and Frankish *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary”). Meaning is “lord of the march”, in sens… The correct English form is marquis, spelled M-A-R-Q-U-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke, but above a count. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the kingdom. The office has ceased, and the name is now a mere title conferred by letters patent or letters close.
  2. 2
    Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the Asian genus Bassarona (or Euthalia).

Etymology

From Middle English markis, from Old French markis, marchis, from Late Latin marchensis, from Old High German marcha and Frankish *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary”). Meaning is “lord of the march”, in sense of march (“border country”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amrquis
  • maqruis
  • marqius
  • marqquis
  • marquiss
  • marqusi
  • marrquis
  • maruqis
  • mmarquis
  • mraquis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of marquis - 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.

amrquis2maqruis2marqius2marqquis1marquiss1marqusi2marrquis1maruqis2
Edit distance from "marquis"

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 "marquis"?
"marquis" is spelled M-A-R-Q-U-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɑː.kwɪs/.
What does "marquis" mean?
As a noun, "marquis" means: A nobleman in England, France, and Germany, of a rank next below that of duke, but above a count. Originally, the marquis was an officer whose duty was to guard the marches or frontiers of the king...
What words are commonly confused with "marquis"?
"marquis" is commonly confused with "marquise", "Maris", "Marcus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "marquis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "marquis" is /ˈmɑː.kwɪs/. 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 "marquis"?
From Middle English markis, from Old French markis, marchis, from Late Latin marchensis, from Old High German marcha and Frankish *marku, from Proto-Germanic *markō, from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (“edge, boundary”). Meaning is “lord of the march... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "marquis", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

layered#16,061poorest#16,095prosper#16,098hideous#16,042

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

pinnacle10 variantsglitch10 variantsgenital10 variantsScarlett10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list