acacia

/əˈkeɪ.ʃə/

//əˈkeɪ.ʃə// noun

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

The verdict

“acacia” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #28,443 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#28,443
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

acacia vs Accra
50% similar
acacia vs Arabia
50% similar
acacia vs Alicia
50% similar

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

Key facts for acacia
PropertyValue
Headwordacacia
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈkeɪ.ʃə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,443
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acacia” 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). acacia 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 English entry for acacia is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkeɪ.ʃə/. Corpus data places it at rank #28,443 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for acacia, with forms such as "aaccia", "acacai", and "acaccia". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Accra", "Arabia", "Alicia", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin acacia, from Ancient Greek ἀκακία (akakía, “shittah tree”), either from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) (compare ἀκή (akḗ, “point”)) or more likely a Pre-Greek word. First attested before 1398. Doublet of cassie. The correct English form is acacia, spelled A-C-A-C-I-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
  2. 2
    The thickened or dried juice of several species in Acacieae, in particular Vachellia nilotica (syn. Acacia nilotica, Egyptian acacia).
  3. 3
    A false acacia; robinia tree (Robinia pseudoacacia).
  4. 4
    Gum arabic; gum acacia.
  5. 5
    Any of several related trees, such as a locust tree.
  6. 6
    A light to moderate greenish yellow with a hint of red.
  7. 7
    A light to moderate greenish yellow with a hint of red. acacia:

Etymology

From Latin acacia, from Ancient Greek ἀκακία (akakía, “shittah tree”), either from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) (compare ἀκή (akḗ, “point”)) or more likely a Pre-Greek word. First attested before 1398. Doublet of cassie.

Synonyms

wattlethorntreewhistling thorngum acaciagum arabic

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aaccia,acacai,acaccia,acaica,accacia,accaia,caacia

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acacia - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aaccia2acacai2acaccia1acaica2accacia1accaia2caacia2
Edit distance from "acacia"

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 "acacia"?
"acacia" is spelled A-C-A-C-I-A. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkeɪ.ʃə/.
What does "acacia" mean?
As a noun, "acacia" means: A shrub or tree of the tribe Acacieae.
What words are commonly confused with "acacia"?
"acacia" is commonly confused with "Accra", "Arabia", "Alicia". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acacia"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acacia" is /əˈkeɪ.ʃə/. 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 "acacia"?
From Latin acacia, from Ancient Greek ἀκακία (akakía, “shittah tree”), either from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) (compare ἀκή (akḗ, “point”)) or more likely a Pre-Greek word. First attested before 1398. Doublet of cassie. 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 “acacia”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-A-C-I-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkeɪ.ʃə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Accra” - see the side-by-side comparison. acacia vs Accra
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list