calabash

/ˈkaləbaʃ/

//ˈkaləbaʃ// noun

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

"calabash" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“calabash” is uncommon English (frequency #68,905 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,905
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tree (known as the calabash tree; Crescentia cujete) native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and southern Florida, bearing large, round fruit used to make containers (sense 3); the ...

Key facts for calabash
PropertyValue
Headwordcalabash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkaləbaʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#68,905
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “calabash” 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). calabash lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

calabash is uncommon English at frequency #68,905 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkaləbaʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for calabash in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French calebasse, from Spanish calabaza (“gourd; pumpkin”), possibly from Arabic قَرْعَةٌ يَابِسَةٌ (qarʕatun yābisatun, “dry gourd”) or directly from its etymon Persian خربزه (xarboze, “melon”), possibly ultimately from Sanskrit त्रपुस (trapusa, “colo… The correct English form is calabash, spelled C-A-L-A-B-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tree (known as the calabash tree; Crescentia cujete) native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and southern Florida, bearing large, round fruit used to make containers (sense 3); the fruit of this tree.
  2. 2
    The bottle gourd (calabash vine, Lagenaria siceraria), believed to have originated in Africa, which is grown for its fruit that are used as a vegetable and to make containers (sense 3); the fruit of this plant.
  3. 3
    A container made from the mature, dried shell of the fruit of one of the above plants; also, a similarly shaped container made from some other material.
  4. 4
    A calabash and its contents; as much as fills such a container.
  5. 5
    A musical instrument, most commonly a drum or rattle, made from a calabash fruit.

Etymology

From French calebasse, from Spanish calabaza (“gourd; pumpkin”), possibly from Arabic قَرْعَةٌ يَابِسَةٌ (qarʕatun yābisatun, “dry gourd”) or directly from its etymon Persian خربزه (xarboze, “melon”), possibly ultimately from Sanskrit त्रपुस (trapusa, “colocynth fruit”) (compare Persian تربزه (tarboze, “watermelon”)). The English word is cognate with Catalan carabassa (“pumpkin; orange colour”), Galician cabaza (“gourd, pumpkin, squash; calabash (container)”), Occitan calebasso, carabasso, carbasso, Portuguese cabaça (“gourd; calabash (container)”), Sicilian caravazza (and caramazza).

This word in other languages

jícaro(Español)calebasse(Français)Flaschenkürbis(Deutsch)cabaça(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 "calabash"?
"calabash" is spelled C-A-L-A-B-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaləbaʃ/.
What does "calabash" mean?
As a noun, "calabash" means: A tree (known as the calabash tree; Crescentia cujete) native to Central and South America, the West Indies, and southern Florida, bearing large, round fruit used to make containers (sense 3); the ...
How do you pronounce "calabash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "calabash" is /ˈkaləbaʃ/. 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 "calabash"?
From French calebasse, from Spanish calabaza (“gourd; pumpkin”), possibly from Arabic قَرْعَةٌ يَابِسَةٌ (qarʕatun yābisatun, “dry gourd”) or directly from its etymon Persian خربزه (xarboze, “melon”), possibly ultimately from Sanskrit त्रपुस (trap... 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 “calabash”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-A-B-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkaləbaʃ/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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