can opener
"can-opener" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“can opener” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A device used to open tin cans, usually by slicing the lid off.
Corpus desk
Index EN-can-opener · can opener · English
can opener · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | can opener |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “can opener” in English
Rare enough to double-check
can opener is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for can opener, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is can opener, spelled C-A-N- -O-P-E-N-E-R.
Definition
- 1A device used to open tin cans, usually by slicing the lid off.
- 2A shoulder hit to the chest, usually accomplished while moving from a crouched to a standing position.
- 3A tool for safe-cracking.
- 4A ramming maneuver, that opens up the target ship like a tin can.
- 5An anti-tank munition or attack vehicle, that opens up armour like a tin can.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how can opener appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Even the work of opening a safe with nitroglycerine or with a can opener places the criminal in a state of nervous tension.
“I wonder why they didn't use 'soup' (nitroglycerine) snuffing the drum (blowing safe) instead of a 'can-opener,” (3 ft. steel rod, pointed one end to punch starting hole in bottom of safe, other end shaped like a can opener to peal^([sic]) the bottom of safe open.) commented McLaughlin? ^([sic])
This word in other languages
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.