pirouette

Name: pirouette, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/

//ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“pirouette” is uncommon English (frequency #77,092 among 46,516 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,092
frequency rank, English: 46,516
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing, primarily in ballet.

Key facts for pirouette
Property	Value
Headword	pirouette
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#77,092
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pirouette” 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). pirouette lands here:

#77,092

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

pirouette is uncommon English at frequency #77,092 among 46,516 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for pirouette, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French pirouette, see there for more; attested since 1706. The correct English form is pirouette, spelled P-I-R-O-U-E-T-T-E.

Definition

1
A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing, primarily in ballet.
2
The whirling about of a horse.
3
A wooden mouthpiece assembly or lip rest used in some European double-reed instruments.

Etymology

Borrowed from French pirouette, see there for more; attested since 1706.

This word in other languages

pirueta(Español)pirouette(Français)Pirouette(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 "pirouette"?

"pirouette" is spelled P-I-R-O-U-E-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/.

What does "pirouette" mean?

As a noun, "pirouette" means: A whirling or turning on the toes in dancing, primarily in ballet.

How do you pronounce "pirouette"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pirouette" is /ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/. 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 "pirouette"?

Borrowed from French pirouette, see there for more; attested since 1706. 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.

Using “pirouette”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

The one correct English spelling is P-I-R-O-U-E-T-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˌpɪ.ɹʊˈɛt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.