menu

/ˈmɛn.juː/

//ˈmɛn.juː// noun

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

"menu" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“menu” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,613. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,613
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.

Corpus desk

Index EN-menu · menu · English

menu · rank #4,613 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,613
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH mainstream

Nearest frequency peer: mainstream (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “menu”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “menu” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

menu vs MN
0% similar
menu vs mu
50% similar
menu vs met
50% similar

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

Key facts for menu
PropertyValue
Headwordmenu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɛn.juː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,613
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “menu” 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).menulands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “mainstream” (#4,612), “Missouri” (#4,614), “lover” (#4,611). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around menu (IPA /ˈmɛn.juː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,613 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for menu, with forms such as "emnu", "mennu", and "meun". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "MN", "mu", "met", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute. The correct English form is menu, spelled M-E-N-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.
  2. 2
    A list containing the food and beverages served at a restaurant, café, or bar. Menus may be printed on paper sheets provided to customers, put on a large poster or display board inside the establishment, displayed outside the restaurant, or digital.
  3. 3
    The food or drinks that are available in a restaurant, café, or bar.
  4. 4
    A list from which the user may select an operation to be performed, often done with a keyboard, mouse, or controller under a graphical user interface.
  5. 5
    A list or agenda.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After the wedding celebration was over the menu was displayed for dinner.
  2. The server handed us the menu.

Etymology

Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute.

This word in other languages

menú(Español)carte(Français)Menü(Deutsch)cardápio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emnu
  • mennu
  • meun
  • mmenu
  • mneu

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emnu2mennu1meun2mmenu1mneu2
Edit distance from "menu"

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 "menu"?
"menu" is spelled M-E-N-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɛn.juː/.
What does "menu" mean?
As a noun, "menu" means: The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.
What words are commonly confused with "menu"?
"menu" is commonly confused with "MN", "mu", "met". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "menu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "menu" is /ˈmɛn.juː/. 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 "menu"?
Borrowed from French menu. Doublet of menudo and minute. 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 "menu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

nope#4,617oral#4,620pays#4,622exam#4,598

Similar misspelling depth

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

bold5 variantsAIDS5 variantstune5 variantskhan5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "menu". Here's where to go from here.

  • "menu" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "MN". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,613 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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