secret

/ˈsiː.kɹɪt/

//ˈsiː.kɹɪt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“secret” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,284 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,284
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

secret vs sect
67% similar
secret vs secure
67% similar
secret vs socket
67% similar

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

Key facts for secret
PropertyValue
Headwordsecret
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsiː.kɹɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,284
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “secret” 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). secret lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for secret is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,284 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for secret, with forms such as "escret", "sceret", and "seccret". 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. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "sect", "secure", "socket", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun. The correct English form is secret, spelled S-E-C-R-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
  2. 2
    The key or principle by which something is made clear; the knack.
  3. 3
    Something not understood or known.
  4. 4
    Private seclusion.
  5. 5
    The genital organs.
  6. 6
    A form of steel skullcap.
  7. 7
    Any prayer spoken inaudibly and not aloud; especially, one of the prayers in the Tridentine Mass, immediately following the "orate, fratres", said inaudibly by the celebrant.

Etymology

The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun.

Synonyms

dern

This word in other languages

secreto(Español)secret(Français)Geheimnis(Deutsch)segredo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: escret,sceret,seccret,secert,secrett,secrret,secrte,sercet,ssecret

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

escret2sceret2seccret1secert2secrett1secrret1secrte2sercet2
Edit distance from "secret"

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 "secret"?
"secret" is spelled S-E-C-R-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/.
What does "secret" mean?
As a noun, "secret" means: A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
What words are commonly confused with "secret"?
"secret" is commonly confused with "sect", "secure", "socket". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "secret"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "secret" is /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/. 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 "secret"?
The noun is from Middle English secret, from Latin sēcrētum. Doublet of secretum. Displaced Old English dēagolnes (“a secret”). The verb is from the noun. 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 “secret”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-C-R-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sect” - see the side-by-side comparison. secret vs sect
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list