# arcane

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɑɹˈkeɪn/ · frequency rank #29,165

## Definitions
1. Understood by only a few.
2. Obscure, mysterious.
3. Requiring secret or mysterious knowledge to understand.
4. Extremely old (e.g. interpretation or knowledge), and possibly irrelevant.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arceō (“to shut up, enclose”); cognate with Latin arca (“a chest”).

## Easily confused with
- **Arne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-arne)
- **Aryan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-aryan)
- **Arian** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-arian)
- **Arran** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-arran)
- **Archie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-archie)
- **Ariana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-ariana)
- **Armani** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-armani)
- **Arlene** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-arlene)
- **Ariane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-ariane)
- **arrange** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-arrange)
- **Ariadne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcane-vs-ariadne)
- **acne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/acne-vs-arcane)
- **arcade** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcade-vs-arcane)
- **arcana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/arcana-vs-arcane)

## Common misspellings (8)
`acrane`, `aracne`, `arcaen`, `arcanne`, `arccane`, `arcnae`, `arrcane`, `racane`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/arcane