carat

/ˈkæ.ɹət/

//ˈkæ.ɹət// noun

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

"carat" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carat” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,773. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,773
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carat · carat · English

carat · rank #23,773 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #23,773
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cancerous

Nearest frequency peer: cancerous (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “carat”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “carat” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

carat vs cat
60% similar
carat vs CRT
0% similar
carat vs care
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for carat
PropertyValue
Headwordcarat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæ.ɹət/
Letters5
Frequency rank#23,773
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “carat”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).caratlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cancerous” (#23,772), “carcinoma” (#23,774), “byte” (#23,771). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carat” is #23,773. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around carat (IPA /ˈkæ.ɹət/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,773 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for carat, with forms such as "acrat", "caart", and "caratt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cat", "CRT", "care", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط (qīrāṭ, “carat, similarly small units such as inches”), from Ancient Greek κεράτιον (kerátion, “hornlet, carob seed”), from κέρας (kéras, “horn”) + -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). Doublet of… The correct English form is carat, spelled C-A-R-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls.
  2. 2
    Any of several small units of mass used for measuring precious stones and pearls, equivalent to 189–212 mg.
  3. 3
    A 24-point scale used to measure the purity of gold.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. 18-carat gold is 75% gold by mass. 24-carat gold is pure.

Etymology

From Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط (qīrāṭ, “carat, similarly small units such as inches”), from Ancient Greek κεράτιον (kerátion, “hornlet, carob seed”), from κέρας (kéras, “horn”) + -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). Doublet of quilate and keratin.

This word in other languages

quilate(Español)carat(Français)Karat(Deutsch)quilate(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrat
  • caart
  • caratt
  • carrat
  • ccarat
  • craat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carat - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acrat2caart2caratt1carrat1ccarat1craat2
Edit distance from "carat"

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 "carat"?
"carat" is spelled C-A-R-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæ.ɹət/.
What does "carat" mean?
As a noun, "carat" means: A metric unit of mass equal to exactly 200 mg, chiefly used for measuring precious stones and pearls.
What words are commonly confused with "carat"?
"carat" is commonly confused with "cat", "CRT", "care". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carat" is /ˈkæ.ɹət/. 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 "carat"?
From Middle French carat, from Italian carato, from Arabic قِيرَاط (qīrāṭ, “carat, similarly small units such as inches”), from Ancient Greek κεράτιον (kerátion, “hornlet, carob seed”), from κέρας (kéras, “horn”) + -ιον (-ion, diminutive suffix). ... 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 "carat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Chong#23,780chore#23,781Bette#23,760coles#23,786

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

byte6 variantsBarron6 variantsaxial6 variantsawoke6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list