carambola

/ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/

//ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə// noun

"carambola" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carambola” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tree species native to southern Asia, Averrhoa carambola.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carambola · carambola · English

carambola · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 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.

Key facts for carambola
PropertyValue
Headwordcarambola
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “carambola” in English

carambolasits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

carambola is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for carambola in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Presumably from Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ), via Portuguese. The correct English form is carambola, spelled C-A-R-A-M-B-O-L-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A tree species native to southern Asia, Averrhoa carambola.
  2. 2
    The fruit of this tree, commonly known as star fruit.
  3. 3
    A yellow colour, like that of a carambola.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The carambola tree bears a sour fruit which makes a good tart, and there is a variety which bears a sweet fruit. The tree, though originally, it is said, from the Moluccas, flourishes well on this Coast, and is quite naturalized.
  2. She leans out of sight before coming back with a bowl of something—looks like sliced fresh carambola with salt and chili.

Etymology

Presumably from Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ), via Portuguese.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "carambola"?
"carambola" is spelled C-A-R-A-M-B-O-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/.
What does "carambola" mean?
As a noun, "carambola" means: A tree species native to southern Asia, Averrhoa carambola.
How do you pronounce "carambola"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carambola" is /ˌkæɹəmˈbəʊlə/. 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 "carambola"?
Presumably from Marathi करंबळ (karambaḷ), via Portuguese. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list