picket

/ˈpɪkɪt/

//ˈpɪkɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“picket” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,458. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,458
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A stake driven into the ground.

Corpus desk

Index EN-picket · picket · English

picket · rank #20,458 · 9 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,458
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH petra

Nearest frequency peer: petra (-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 “picket”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “picket” 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).

picket vs pike
67% similar
picket vs piet
67% similar
picket vs picks
67% similar

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

Key facts for picket
PropertyValue
Headwordpicket
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɪkɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#20,458
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “picket”

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).picketlands 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 “petra” (#20,457), “petit” (#20,456), “poignant” (#20,460). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “picket” is #20,458. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around picket (IPA /ˈpɪkɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,458 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for picket, with forms such as "ipcket", "pciket", and "piccket". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "pike", "piet", "picks", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French piquet, from piquer (“to pierce”). The correct English form is picket, spelled P-I-C-K-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A stake driven into the ground.
  2. 2
    A type of punishment by which an offender had to rest his or her entire body weight on the top of a small stake.
  3. 3
    A tool in mountaineering that is driven into the snow and used as an anchor or to arrest falls.
  4. 4
    One of the soldiers or troops placed on a line forward of a position to warn against an enemy advance; or any unit (for example, an aircraft or ship) performing a similar function.
  5. 5
    A sentry.
  6. 6
    A protester positioned outside an office, workplace etc. during a strike (usually in plural); also the protest itself.
  7. 7
    The card game piquet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a picket fence
  2. So confident was he that he ignored the warning of his two British advisers to post pickets to watch the river, and even withdrew those they had placed there.

Etymology

From French piquet, from piquer (“to pierce”).

This word in other languages

piquete(Español)piquet(Français)Pfosten(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ipcket
  • pciket
  • piccket
  • picekt
  • pickett
  • pickket
  • pickte
  • pikcet
  • ppicket

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ipcket2pciket2piccket1picekt2pickett1pickket1pickte2pikcet2
Edit distance from "picket"

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 "picket"?
"picket" is spelled P-I-C-K-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɪkɪt/.
What does "picket" mean?
As a noun, "picket" means: A stake driven into the ground.
What words are commonly confused with "picket"?
"picket" is commonly confused with "pike", "piet", "picks". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "picket"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "picket" is /ˈpɪkɪt/. 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 "picket"?
From French piquet, from piquer (“to pierce”). 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 "picket", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Oakley#20,448quaint#20,468mutiny#20,438richly#20,479

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

nagging9 variantsmidget9 variantssharpe9 variantssmokey9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list