Cartoon

[kaʁˈtuːn]

/[kaʁˈtuːn]/ noun

The verdict

“Cartoon” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #20,875 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#20,875
frequency rank, German
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine aus nur einem Panel bestehende Zeichnung, welche satirisch, und/oder komisch, manchmal auch politisch orientiert ist

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Cartoon vs Cartoons
88% similar
Cartoon vs carbon
57% similar
Cartoon vs Carson
71% similar

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

Key facts for Cartoon
PropertyValue
HeadwordCartoon
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kaʁˈtuːn]
Letters7
Frequency rank#20,875
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Cartoon” sits in German 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). Cartoon 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 German entry for Cartoon is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [kaʁˈtuːn]. Corpus data places it at rank #20,875 in overall German 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for Cartoon, with forms such as "acrtoon", "caroton", and "carrtoon". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Cartoons", "carbon", "Carson", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Cartoon, spelled C-A-R-T-O-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine aus nur einem Panel bestehende Zeichnung, welche satirisch, und/oder komisch, manchmal auch politisch orientiert ist
  2. 2
    (westlicher) Zeichentrickfilm

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acrtoon,caroton,carrtoon,carton,cartono,cartoonn,carttoon,catroon,ccartoon,cratoon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acrtoon2caroton2carrtoon1carton1cartono2cartoonn1carttoon1catroon2
Edit distance from "Cartoon"

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Cartoon"?
"Cartoon" is spelled C-A-R-T-O-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is [kaʁˈtuːn].
What does "Cartoon" mean?
As a noun, "Cartoon" means: eine aus nur einem Panel bestehende Zeichnung, welche satirisch, und/oder komisch, manchmal auch politisch orientiert ist
What words are commonly confused with "Cartoon"?
"Cartoon" is commonly confused with "Cartoons", "carbon", "Carson". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Cartoon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cartoon" is [kaʁˈtuːn]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Cartoon" come from?
"Cartoon" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “Cartoon”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is C-A-R-T-O-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kaʁˈtuːn] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Cartoons” - see the side-by-side comparison. Cartoon vs Cartoons
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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