carbon

/ˈkɑɹ.bən/

//ˈkɑɹ.bən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“carbon” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,717. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,717
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6. It can be found in pure form for example as graphite, a black, shiny and very soft material, or diamond, a colourless, transparent, cryst...

Corpus desk

Index EN-carbon · carbon · English

carbon · rank #2,717 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,717
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH brilliant

Nearest frequency peer: brilliant (-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 “carbon”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “carbon” 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).

carbon vs Caro
50% similar
carbon vs cargo
67% similar
carbon vs carol
67% similar

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

Key facts for carbon
PropertyValue
Headwordcarbon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑɹ.bən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,717
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “carbon”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “brilliant” (#2,716), “catholic” (#2,718), “ban” (#2,715). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carbon” is #2,717. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around carbon (IPA /ˈkɑɹ.bən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,717 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for carbon, with forms such as "acrbon", "cabron", and "carbbon". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Caro", "cargo", "carol", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French carbone, coined by Antoine Lavoisier, from Latin carbō, carbōnem (“charcoal, coal”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“to burn”). By surface analysis, carbo- + -on. The correct English form is carbon, spelled C-A-R-B-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6. It can be found in pure form for example as graphite, a black, shiny and very soft material, or diamond, a colourless, transparent, crystalline solid and the hardest known material.
  2. 2
    An atom of this element, in reference to a molecule containing it.
  3. 3
    A sheet of carbon paper.
  4. 4
    A carbon copy.
  5. 5
    A fossil fuel that is made of impure carbon such as coal or charcoal.
  6. 6
    Soot.
  7. 7
    Soot.
  8. 8
    Ellipsis of carbon dioxide.
  9. 9
    A carbon rod or pencil used in an arc lamp.
  10. 10
    A plate or piece of carbon used as one of the elements of a voltaic battery.
  11. 11
    Ellipsis of carbon fiber (reinforced polymer).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. All life as we know it has carbon as the backbone of many of its molecules; carbon’s tetravalence gives it special importance in biochemical molecular bonds.
  2. Carbon is the most common element in our bodies—indeed, in all living things on earth.

Etymology

Borrowed from French carbone, coined by Antoine Lavoisier, from Latin carbō, carbōnem (“charcoal, coal”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“to burn”). By surface analysis, carbo- + -on.

This word in other languages

carbono(Español)carbone(Français)Kohlenstoff(Deutsch)carbono(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrbon
  • cabron
  • carbbon
  • carbno
  • carbonn
  • carobn
  • carrbon
  • ccarbon
  • crabon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carbon - 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.

acrbon2cabron2carbbon1carbno2carbonn1carobn2carrbon1ccarbon1
Edit distance from "carbon"

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 "carbon"?
"carbon" is spelled C-A-R-B-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑɹ.bən/.
What does "carbon" mean?
As a noun, "carbon" means: The chemical element (symbol C) with an atomic number of 6. It can be found in pure form for example as graphite, a black, shiny and very soft material, or diamond, a colourless, transparent, cryst...
What words are commonly confused with "carbon"?
"carbon" is commonly confused with "Caro", "cargo", "carol". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carbon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carbon" is /ˈkɑɹ.bən/. 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 "carbon"?
Borrowed from French carbone, coined by Antoine Lavoisier, from Latin carbō, carbōnem (“charcoal, coal”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *kerh₃- (“to burn”). By surface analysis, carbo- + -on. 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 "carbon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

attend#2,714circle#2,720arrest#2,713Amazon#2,712

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

agents9 variantsvictim9 variantsdeputy9 variantsturkey9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list