meringue

/məˈɹæŋ/

//məˈɹæŋ// noun

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

"meringue" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“meringue” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,573. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,573
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mixture consisting of beaten egg whites and sugar which is added to the tops of pies then browned.

Corpus desk

Index EN-meringue · meringue · English

meringue · rank #37,573 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,573
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH megapixel

Nearest frequency peer: megapixel (-2 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 “meringue”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “meringue” 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
Key facts for meringue
PropertyValue
Headwordmeringue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/məˈɹæŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#37,573
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “meringue”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).meringuelands 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 “megapixel” (#37,571), “minstrel” (#37,575), “measly” (#37,570). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “meringue” is #37,573. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around meringue (IPA /məˈɹæŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,573 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for meringue, with forms such as "emringue", "meirngue", and "merignue". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French meringue. Historically, it was believed that meringue was invented in and named for the Swiss village of Meiringen, but the term is now thought to derive instead from Middle Dutch meringue (“light evening meal”), of unclear origin: * pe… The correct English form is meringue, spelled M-E-R-I-N-G-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A mixture consisting of beaten egg whites and sugar which is added to the tops of pies then browned.
  2. 2
    A shell made of this mixture which serves as the receptacle for fruit, ice cream or sherbet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The key to a good baked Alaska is the meringue topping.
  2. Shirley likes to have strawberry with her meringue.

Etymology

Borrowed from French meringue. Historically, it was believed that meringue was invented in and named for the Swiss village of Meiringen, but the term is now thought to derive instead from Middle Dutch meringue (“light evening meal”), of unclear origin: * perhaps from Latin merenda (“light evening meal”), or * perhaps from Middle Dutch *meren (“to dip or soak bread”), from Old Dutch *meren, itself of unclear origin: ** perhaps from Proto-Germanic *marjaną (“to grind, pound”), from Proto-Indo-European *mer- (“to rub, pack”). ** perhaps from Proto-Germanic *marhin (“soup of bread and wine or water”), from Proto-Indo-European *mark-, *merk- (“wet”). Compare Middle Low German meringe (from mern (“to dip bread in wine”)), Middle High German merunge (from mëren (“to soak bread in wine or water for dinner”)), Old English merian (“to purify, cleanse, test”). Doublet of merengue.

This word in other languages

merengue(Español)meringue(Français)Baiser(Deutsch)suspiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • emringue
  • meirngue
  • merignue
  • meringeu
  • meringgue
  • merinngue
  • merinuge
  • mernigue
  • merringue
  • mmeringue
  • mreingue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

emringue2meirngue2merignue2meringeu2meringgue1merinngue1merinuge2mernigue2
Edit distance from "meringue"

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 "meringue"?
"meringue" is spelled M-E-R-I-N-G-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /məˈɹæŋ/.
What does "meringue" mean?
As a noun, "meringue" means: A mixture consisting of beaten egg whites and sugar which is added to the tops of pies then browned.
What are common misspellings of "meringue"?
Common misspellings include "emringue", "meirngue", "merignue", "meringeu", "meringgue". The correct spelling is "meringue".
How do you pronounce "meringue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "meringue" is /məˈɹæŋ/. 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 "meringue"?
Borrowed from French meringue. Historically, it was believed that meringue was invented in and named for the Swiss village of Meiringen, but the term is now thought to derive instead from Middle Dutch meringue (“light evening meal”), of unclear or... 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 "meringue", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

minstrel#37,575Monaghan#37,577mouthing#37,580overhang#37,611

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

palatine11 variantspoolside11 variantsGujarati11 variantssensuous11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list