canker
can·ker/ˈkæŋkɚ/noun, verb
canker is spelled C-A-N-K-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (can·ker). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, canker means “A plant disease marked by gradual decay” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of canker is cankers.
How many letters and syllables are in canker?
| Letters | 6: C-A-N-K-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: can·ker |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 60,838th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 canker?
Canker appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 60,838th 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 canker?
- US /ˈkæŋkɚ/
- UK /ˈkæŋkə/
Canker has 2 syllables, split can·ker in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-canker.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with canker?
6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as canker from its last stressed vowel (/æŋkəɹ/):
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 canker
- cankers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cankering participle, present
- cankered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does canker mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A plant disease marked by gradual decay.
- 2
A region of dead plant tissue caused by such a disease.
- 3
A worm or grub that destroys plant buds or leaves; cankerworm.
- 4
A corroding or sloughing ulcer; especially a spreading gangrenous ulcer or collection of ulcers in or about the mouth.
- 5
Anything which corrodes, corrupts, or destroys.
the canker of destitution and violence.
- 6
A kind of wild rose; the dog rose.
- 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
An avian disease affecting doves, poultry, parrots and birds of prey, caused by Trichomonas gallinae.
verb
- 1
To affect as a canker; to eat away; to corrode; to consume.
- 2
To infect or pollute; to corrupt.
- 3
To waste away, grow rusty, or be oxidized, as a mineral.
- 4
To be or become diseased, or as if diseased, with canker; to grow corrupt; to become venomous.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Canker in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense avian disease caused by T. gallinae:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | gelber Knopf |
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 canker come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).