canker

/ˈkæŋkɚ/

//ˈkæŋkɚ// noun

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

"canker" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“canker” is uncommon English (frequency #60,689 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,689
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A plant disease marked by gradual decay.

Corpus desk

Index EN-canker · canker · English

canker · rank #60,689 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,689
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cantonment

Nearest frequency peer: cantonment (+1 rank slots)

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.

Long-tail ranks near “canker”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “canker” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for canker
PropertyValue
Headwordcanker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæŋkɚ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,689
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “canker” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cankerfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “cantonment” (#60,690), “carbone” (#60,691), “calisthenics” (#60,685). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “canker” is #60,689. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

canker is uncommon English at frequency #60,689 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæŋkɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for canker, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English canker, cancre, from Old English cancer (“cancer; crab”), akin to Dutch kanker, Old High German chanchar. Ultimately from Latin cancer (“a cancer”). Doublet of cancer, a later borrowing from Latin, and chancre, which came through French. The correct English form is canker, spelled C-A-N-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
  2. 2
    A region of dead plant tissue caused by such a disease.
  3. 3
    A worm or grub that destroys plant buds or leaves; cankerworm.
  4. 4
    A corroding or sloughing ulcer; especially a spreading gangrenous ulcer or collection of ulcers in or about the mouth.
  5. 5
    Anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroys.
  6. 6
    A kind of wild rose; the dog rose.
  7. 7
    An obstinate and often incurable disease of a horse's foot, characterized by separation of the horny portion and the development of fungoid growths. Usually resulting from neglected thrush.
  8. 8
    An avian disease affecting doves, poultry, parrots and birds of prey, caused by Trichomonas gallinae.
  9. 9
    A crab.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how canker appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Slightly sunken brown cankers of variable size and shape affect stem parts primarily below the soil line.
  2. loathsome canker lives in sweetest bud[…]

Etymology

From Middle English canker, cancre, from Old English cancer (“cancer; crab”), akin to Dutch kanker, Old High German chanchar. Ultimately from Latin cancer (“a cancer”). Doublet of cancer, a later borrowing from Latin, and chancre, which came through French.

Synonyms

water cankercanker of the mouthnomaavian trichomoniasisroupfrounce

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 "canker"?
"canker" is spelled C-A-N-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæŋkɚ/.
What does "canker" mean?
As a noun, "canker" means: A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
How do you pronounce "canker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "canker" is /ˈkæŋkɚ/. 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 "canker"?
From Middle English canker, cancre, from Old English cancer (“cancer; crab”), akin to Dutch kanker, Old High German chanchar. Ultimately from Latin cancer (“a cancer”). Doublet of cancer, a later borrowing from Latin, and chancre, which came throu... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "canker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Carlow#60,697Chanda#60,707boughs#60,669bonobo#60,666

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list