anthrax
/ˈæn.θɹæks/
"anthrax" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“anthrax” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #23,744 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #23,744
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | anthrax |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæn.θɹæks/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #23,744 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “anthrax” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for anthrax is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæn.θɹæks/. Corpus data places it at rank #23,744 in overall English 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 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
- 1An acute infectious disease of herbivores, especially sheep and cattle, caused by Bacillus anthracis.
- 2The 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
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "anthrax" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "anthrax"?
How do you pronounce "anthrax"?
What is the origin of the word "anthrax"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “anthrax”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-N-T-H-R-A-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæn.θɹæks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Andhra” - see the side-by-side comparison. anthrax vs Andhra
- 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.