cack
/kæk/
"cack" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cack” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A squawk.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cack |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kæk/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cack” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cack is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kæk/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cack, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Onomatopoeia; see cackle. The correct English form is cack, spelled C-A-C-K.
Definition
- 1A squawk.
- 2A discordant note.
- 3A cackling goose (Branta hutchinsii)
Etymology
Onomatopoeia; see cackle.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “cack”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kæk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.