anthrax

/ˈæn.θɹæks/

//ˈæn.θɹæks// noun

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

"anthrax" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anthrax” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,744. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,744
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-anthrax · anthrax · English

anthrax · rank #23,744 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,744
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH amps

Nearest frequency peer: amps (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “anthrax”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “anthrax” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

anthrax vs Andhra
57% similar

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

Key facts for anthrax
PropertyValue
Headwordanthrax
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈæn.θɹæks/
Letters7
Frequency rank#23,744
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “anthrax”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).anthraxlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “amps” (#23,743), “antisemitism” (#23,745), “allure” (#23,742). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “anthrax” is #23,744. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around anthrax (IPA /ˈæn.θɹæks/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,744 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for anthrax, with forms such as "anhtrax", "annthrax", and "antharx". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "Andhra", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax, “abscess, boil”). The correct English form is anthrax, spelled A-N-T-H-R-A-X.

Definition

  1. 1
    An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
  2. 2
    The human disease that can occur in humans through contact with infected herbivores, tissue from infected animals, or high concentrations of anthrax spores, but is not usually spread between humans, with symptoms including lesions on the skin or in the lungs, often fatal.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax, “abscess, boil”).

Synonyms

charbonCumberland diseasemalignant edemaSiberian plaguesplenic feverragsorter's diseasewoolsorter's disease

This word in other languages

carbunco(Español)charbon(Français)Milzbrand(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • anhtrax
  • annthrax
  • antharx
  • anthhrax
  • anthraxx
  • anthrrax
  • anthrxa
  • antrhax
  • antthrax
  • atnhrax
  • nathrax

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

anhtrax2annthrax1antharx2anthhrax1anthraxx1anthrrax1anthrxa2antrhax2
Edit distance from "anthrax"

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 "anthrax"?
"anthrax" is spelled A-N-T-H-R-A-X. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈæn.θɹæks/.
What does "anthrax" mean?
As a noun, "anthrax" means: An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
What words are commonly confused with "anthrax"?
"anthrax" is commonly confused with "Andhra". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "anthrax"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anthrax" is /ˈæn.θɹæks/. 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 "anthrax"?
From Ancient Greek ἄνθραξ (ánthrax, “abscess, boil”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "anthrax", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

aqueous#23,748acetate#23,738Barnard#23,755bayonet#23,758

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

YouTuber11 variantswindmill11 variantsBritons11 variantswalkway11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list