carabao

/kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ/

//kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ// noun

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

"carabao" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carabao” is uncommon English (frequency #92,431 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,431
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A domesticated subspecies of water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis carabanesis.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carabao · carabao · English

carabao · rank #92,431 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #92,431
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Capernaum

Nearest frequency peer: Capernaum (-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 “carabao”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for carabao
PropertyValue
Headwordcarabao
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#92,431
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “carabao” 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).carabaofalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Capernaum” (#92,430), “carioca” (#92,432), “cannibalized” (#92,429). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carabao” is #92,431. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

carabao is uncommon English at frequency #92,431 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A domesticated subspecies of water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis carabanesis.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for carabao, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish carabao, from Waray-Waray karabaw, from Malay kerbau, from Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Compare Khmer ក្របី (krɑɑbəy), Halang kơpùa, Indonesian kerbau, Java… The correct English form is carabao, spelled C-A-R-A-B-A-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A domesticated subspecies of water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis carabanesis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The weaker carabaos are slaughtered for meat, the stronger ones put to work on Golgotha, and the drivers are assimilated into the workforce.
  2. Filipinos tell several stories about the carabao. The Tagalog, who live mainly on Luzon, tell the following story about how the carabao, one of the largest animals in the country, is tricked by one of the smallest animals, a hummingbird.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish carabao, from Waray-Waray karabaw, from Malay kerbau, from Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Compare Khmer ក្របី (krɑɑbəy), Halang kơpùa, Indonesian kerbau, Javanese ꦏꦼꦧꦺꦴ (kebo), Thai กระบือ (grà-bʉʉ).

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 "carabao"?
"carabao" is spelled C-A-R-A-B-A-O. The IPA pronunciation is /kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ/.
What does "carabao" mean?
As a noun, "carabao" means: A domesticated subspecies of water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis carabanesis.
How do you pronounce "carabao"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carabao" is /kæɹəˈbeɪəʊ/. 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 "carabao"?
Borrowed from Spanish carabao, from Waray-Waray karabaw, from Malay kerbau, from Proto-Malayic *kAr(ə)baw, ultimately from Proto-Mon-Khmer *krpiʔ ~ *krpiiw ~ *krpuʔ ~ *(kr)puh (“buffalo”). Compare Khmer ក្របី (krɑɑbəy), Halang kơpùa, Indonesian ke... 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 "carabao", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

carioca#92,432Canales#92,428carping#92,436Burdwan#92,419

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list