masque

/mæsk/

//mæsk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“masque” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,049. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,049
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song.

Corpus desk

Index EN-masque · masque · English

masque · rank #46,049 · 8 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,049
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH masseuse

Nearest frequency peer: masseuse (+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 “masque”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “masque” 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).

masque vs mosque
83% similar
masque vs Massie
50% similar
masque vs mashup
67% similar

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

Key facts for masque
PropertyValue
Headwordmasque
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mæsk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#46,049
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “masque”

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).masquelands 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 “masseuse” (#46,050), “maulana” (#46,053), “mammy” (#46,044). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “masque” is #46,049. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around masque (IPA /mæsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,049 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for masque, with forms such as "amsque", "maqsue", and "masqeu". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "mosque", "Massie", "mashup", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh. The correct English form is masque, spelled M-A-S-Q-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song.
  2. 2
    Words and music written for a masque.
  3. 3
    A masquerade.
  4. 4
    Obsolete spelling of mask.
  5. 5
    A facial mask.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how masque appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. "I think," said Anne to Madame de Mercœur, "we must obtain your protégée's services for our intended masque; however, I shall leave that to you young people to settle," turning to Louis as she spoke.
  2. Over six sections – a prologue, a life-story, a dream-quest, a dirge, a masque and an epilogue – they meditate on their lives, their hopes, their losses, and on the human condition.

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amsque
  • maqsue
  • masqeu
  • masqque
  • massque
  • masuqe
  • mmasque
  • msaque

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

amsque2maqsue2masqeu2masqque1massque1masuqe2mmasque1msaque2
Edit distance from "masque"

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 "masque"?
"masque" is spelled M-A-S-Q-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /mæsk/.
What does "masque" mean?
As a noun, "masque" means: A dramatic performance, often performed at court as a royal entertainment, consisting of dancing, dialogue, pantomime and song.
What words are commonly confused with "masque"?
"masque" is commonly confused with "mosque", "Massie", "mashup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "masque"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "masque" is /mæsk/. 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 "masque"?
Unadapted borrowing from French masque. Doublet of mask and mesh. 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 "masque", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Messer#46,059Lytton#46,037minnow#46,069Lauryn#46,022

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

mirth8 variantsPassaic8 variantsplebs8 variantsqueasy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list