arc

/ɑːk/

//ɑːk// noun

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

"arc" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“arc” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,005 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,005
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

arc vs as
33% similar
arc vs at
33% similar
arc vs aw
33% similar

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

Key facts for arc
PropertyValue
Headwordarc
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɑːk/
Letters3
Frequency rank#5,005
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “arc” 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). arc 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 arc is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɑːk/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,005 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for arc in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "as", "at", "aw", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”), ultim… The correct English form is arc, spelled A-R-C.

Definition

  1. 1
    That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
  2. 2
    A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.
  3. 3
    A curve, in general.
  4. 4
    A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
  5. 5
    A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge either between two electrodes or as lightning.
  6. 6
    Ellipsis of story arc.
  7. 7
    Ellipsis of story arc.
  8. 8
    A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
  9. 9
    A directed edge.
  10. 10
    The three-point line.
  11. 11
    An arclight.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos (“bow, arrow”). Doublet of arch, arco, and arrow.

Synonyms

curveswoopcircular arccircle segmentarrowdirected edge

This word in other languages

arco(Español)arc(Français)Bogen(Deutsch)arco(Português)

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 "arc"?
"arc" is spelled A-R-C. The IPA pronunciation is /ɑːk/.
What does "arc" mean?
As a noun, "arc" means: That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
What words are commonly confused with "arc"?
"arc" is commonly confused with "as", "at", "aw". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "arc"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "arc" is /ɑːk/. 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 "arc"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arc... 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 “arc”

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

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