spinet

/ˈspɪn.ɪt/

//ˈspɪn.ɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“spinet” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A short, compact harpsichord or piano.

Corpus desk

Index EN-spinet · spinet · English

spinet · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for spinet
PropertyValue
Headwordspinet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈspɪn.ɪt/
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “spinet” in English

spinetranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

spinet is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈspɪn.ɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A short, compact harpsichord or piano.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for spinet in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian spinetta. The correct English form is spinet, spelled S-P-I-N-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A short, compact harpsichord or piano.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He gazed around until on the lid of a spinet he spotted a promising collection of bottles, gin, whiskey, vermouth and sherry, mixed with violin bows, a flute, a toppling pile of books, six volumes of Grove's Dictionary mingled with paperback thrillers, a guitar without any strings, a pair of binoculars, a meerschaum pipe and a jar half-full of wasps and a…

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian spinetta.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "spinet"?
"spinet" is spelled S-P-I-N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈspɪn.ɪt/.
What does "spinet" mean?
As a noun, "spinet" means: A short, compact harpsichord or piano.
How do you pronounce "spinet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "spinet" is /ˈspɪn.ɪt/. 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 "spinet"?
Borrowed from Italian spinetta. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list