sequin
/ˈsiː.kwɪn/
"sequin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“sequin” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,627 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #49,627
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 8
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of various small gold coins minted in Italy and Turkey.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | sequin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsiː.kwɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #49,627 |
| Misspellings tracked | 8 |
| Confusable pairs | 6 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “sequin” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for sequin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsiː.kwɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,627 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sequin, with forms such as "esquin", "seqiun", and "seqquin". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "squid", "squint", "sequoia", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French sequin, from Italian zecchino, from zecca (“mint”), from Arabic سِكَّة (sikka, “die for coining, coin”). Doublet of zecchin. The correct English form is sequin, spelled S-E-Q-U-I-N.
Definition
- 1Any of various small gold coins minted in Italy and Turkey.
- 2A sparkling spangle used for the decoration of ornate clothing.
Etymology
Borrowed from French sequin, from Italian zecchino, from zecca (“mint”), from Arabic سِكَّة (sikka, “die for coining, coin”). Doublet of zecchin.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: esquin,seqiun,seqquin,sequinn,sequni,seuqin,sqeuin,ssequin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sequin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “sequin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-E-Q-U-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsiː.kwɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “squid” - see the side-by-side comparison. sequin vs squid
- 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.