cairn
/kɛ(ə)ɹn/noun
cairn is spelled C-A-I-R-N: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cairn means “A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cairn is cairns.
How many letters and syllables are in cairn?
| Letters | 5: C-A-I-R-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cairn?
Cairn appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cairn?
- UK /kɛən/
- US /kɛ(ə)ɹn/
- Australia /keːn/
Cairn has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cairn.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with cairn?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as cairn (/ɛɹn/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: incar.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cairn
- cairns plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cairn mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A rounded or conical heap of stones erected by early inhabitants of the British Isles, apparently as a sepulchral monument.
- 2
A pile of stones heaped up as a landmark, to guide travelers on land or at sea, or to arrest attention, as in surveying, or in leaving traces of an exploring party, etc.
- 3
A cairn terrier.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cairn in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cairn , montjoie |
| German | Steinhügel , Steindaube, Steinmännchen, Steinpyramide, Steintürmchen |
| Portuguese | moledro |
| Spanish | mojón, punto de referencia, montículo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cairn come from?
From Scots cairn, from Scottish Gaelic càrn, from Old Irish carn, from Proto-Celtic *karnos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂- (“horn”). Compare Welsh carn, Cornish carn. Doublet of carn and horn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).