Word Confusion: Racket versus Racquet

Revised as of
20 Dec 2022

Yep, I just knew there would be a difference between racket and racquet. Only . . . I didn’t realize the difference would be so minute!

Then again, racket seems to be a word with a lot more fun behind it. Illegal business activities — think racketeering! — and all the fun of making a racket. Although the neighbors may not be amused. Oopsies.

Racquet, well now . . . racquet is strictly sports-oriented. Great for the sports-minded, but not as much fun as racketing around is for the rest of us.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Racket	Racquet
Birthday Party with a Crepe Stall is Yesin’s own work and in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Now that’s a racket!	Kris Odegard at 2006 IRF World Racquetball Championships, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is Evan Pritchard’s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Part of Grammar:
Noun 1, 2, 3; Verb, intransitive 2 & transitive 1 Plural for the noun: rackets Gerund: racketing Third person present verb: rackets Past tense or past participle: racketed Present participle: racketing Alternative spelling to racquet	Noun 1, 2 Plural: racquets Alternative spelling to racket
Noun: A type of bat with a round or oval frame strung with catgut, nylon, etc., used especially in tennis, badminton, and squash 1 [Chiefly North American] A snowshoe resembling a tennis racket [Singular noun] A loud unpleasant noise 2 A din [Archaic] The noise and liveliness of fashionable society [Slang] An illegal or dishonest scheme for obtaining money 3 A person’s line of business or way of life Verb, intransitive: Make a loud unpleasant noise 2 [racket around] Enjoy oneself socially Go in pursuit of pleasure or entertainment Verb, transitive: To strike a ball, shuttlecock, etc., with a racket 1	A type of bat with a round or oval frame strung with catgut, nylon, etc., used especially in tennis, badminton, and squash 1 [Chiefly North American] A snowshoe resembling a tennis racket A game for two or four players with ball and racket on a 4-walled court 2
Examples:
Noun: George, grab the rackets, and we’ll play a game. The neighbors are making a racket. He’s running a protection racket. I’m in the insurance racket. Verb, intransitive: We’re just racketing around, looking for a bit of fun. How can you think with those trains racketing by? Will you kids stop racketing around! Verb, transitive: Racket the ball!	The original tracker’s snowshoe is the stereotypical snowshoe and resembles a tennis racquet, in fact, the French term for it is raquette de neige. The man has more racquets. Racquetball is played with racquets. “The Gardens are noted for two kinds of cricket: boy cricket, which is real cricket with a bat, and girl cricket, which is with a racquet and the governess” (Barrie, chapt 13). “Seizing a racquet and keeping my eyes open, I quickly saw a rainbow flash appearing and disappearing and darting over the ground” (London). “I suggested a quick game of tennis before supper and, Cynthia agreeing, I ran upstairs to fetch my racquet.” (Christie, chapt 2).
Derivatives:
Adjective: racketlike, rackety Noun: rackets, racketeering
History of the Word:
Early 16th century from French raquette, ultimately from the medieval Latin rasceta meaning wrist, carpus, and a modification of the Arabic rusgh meaning wrist. Mid-16th century and perhaps imitative of clattering. First used in 1785 and meaning dishonest activity is perhaps from racquet, via the notion of game and reinforced by rack-rent meaning extortionate rent as used in the 1590s.	Early 16th century from the French raquette. The game was invented in 1950.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Racket versus Racquet

Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.

Apple Dictionary.com

Barrie, James Matthew. The White Bird. Hodder & Stoughton, UK: 1902. Pook Press, 2013. <https://amzn.to/3YDWsWH>. Ebook.

Christie, Agatha. The Mysterious Affair at Styles. John Lane, London: 1920. Wildside Press, 2016. <https://amzn.to/3hEweCO>. Ebook.

London, Jack. “The Shadow And The Flash.” Moon-Face and Other Stories. Originally published 1902 or 1906. Project Gutenberg, 2008. <https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1089/1089-h/1089-h.htm>.‎ True Sign Publishing House, 2021. <https://amzn.to/3FGunp7>. Ebook.

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Kris Odegard at 2006 IRF World Racquetball Championships, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, is Evan Pritchard’s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license and Birthday Party with a Crepe Stall is Yesin’s own work and in the public domain. Both are via Wikimedia Commons.