minaret

/ˈmɪnəɹɛt/

//ˈmɪnəɹɛt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“minaret” is uncommon English (frequency #62,322 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,322
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).

Corpus desk

Index EN-minaret · minaret · English

minaret · rank #62,322 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #62,322
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH minter

Nearest frequency peer: minter (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “minaret”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “minaret” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for minaret
PropertyValue
Headwordminaret
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈmɪnəɹɛt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#62,322
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “minaret” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).minaretfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “minter” (#62,324), “minuet” (#62,325), “methylene” (#62,318). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “minaret” is #62,322. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

minaret is uncommon English at frequency #62,322 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈmɪnəɹɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for minaret, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in 1682. Borrowed from French minaret, from Ottoman Turkish مناره (Turkish minare), from Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra, “lighthouse”). See note on pronunciations and borrowing of words with ـَة (-a). From the same Proto-Semitic root *nūr- (“light”)… The correct English form is minaret, spelled M-I-N-A-R-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. And in the background of the picture, just out of focus behind the man, was a soaring minaret outlined against a shockingly blue sky.

Etymology

First attested in 1682. Borrowed from French minaret, from Ottoman Turkish مناره (Turkish minare), from Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra, “lighthouse”). See note on pronunciations and borrowing of words with ـَة (-a). From the same Proto-Semitic root *nūr- (“light”) as menorah.

This word in other languages

alminar(Español)minaret(Français)Minarett(Deutsch)

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 "minaret"?
"minaret" is spelled M-I-N-A-R-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmɪnəɹɛt/.
What does "minaret" mean?
As a noun, "minaret" means: The tall slender tower of an Islamic mosque, from which the muezzin recites the adhan (call to prayer).
How do you pronounce "minaret"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "minaret" is /ˈmɪnəɹɛt/. 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 "minaret"?
First attested in 1682. Borrowed from French minaret, from Ottoman Turkish مناره (Turkish minare), from Arabic مَنَارَة (manāra, “lighthouse”). See note on pronunciations and borrowing of words with ـَة (-a). From the same Proto-Semitic root *nūr-... 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 "minaret", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Mishima#62,327McQuaid#62,311McGrady#62,310Moffatt#62,334

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list