sextet

/sɛksˈtɛt/

//sɛksˈtɛt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sextet” is uncommon English (frequency #69,439 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,439
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any group of six people or things.

Key facts for sextet
PropertyValue
Headwordsextet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɛksˈtɛt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#69,439
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sextet” 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). sextet lands here:

#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

sextet is uncommon English at frequency #69,439 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /sɛksˈtɛt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

sextet doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French sextette, from Italian sestetto. The correct English form is sextet, spelled S-E-X-T-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any group of six people or things.
  2. 2
    A composition for six voices or instruments.
  3. 3
    A group of six singers or instrumentalists.

Etymology

From French sextette, from Italian sestetto.

Synonyms

hexad

This word in other languages

sexteto(Español)sextuor(Français)Sextett(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 "sextet"?
"sextet" is spelled S-E-X-T-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛksˈtɛt/.
What does "sextet" mean?
As a noun, "sextet" means: Any group of six people or things.
How do you pronounce "sextet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sextet" is /sɛksˈtɛt/. 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 "sextet"?
From French sextette, from Italian sestetto. 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 “sextet”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-E-X-T-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɛksˈtɛt/ (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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list