carbuncle

/ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/

//ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“carbuncle” is uncommon English (frequency #74,807 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#74,807
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carbuncle · carbuncle · English

carbuncle · rank #74,807 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #74,807
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH capacious

Nearest frequency peer: capacious (-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 “carbuncle”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for carbuncle
PropertyValue
Headwordcarbuncle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/
Letters9
Frequency rank#74,807
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “carbuncle” 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).carbunclefalls 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: “capacious” (#74,806), “casbah” (#74,809), “calzone” (#74,804). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carbuncle” is #74,807. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

carbuncle is uncommon English at frequency #74,807 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

carbuncle has no tracked misspelling variants, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English carbuncle, charbocle, from Old French carbuncle, charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus (“a small coal; a reddish kind of precious stone; a kind of tumor”), diminutive of carbō (“a coal, charcoal”). Doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel. The correct English form is carbuncle, spelled C-A-R-B-U-N-C-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.
  2. 2
    A charge or bearing supposed to represent the precious stone, with eight sceptres or staves radiating from a common centre; an escarbuncle.
  3. 3
    An abscess larger than a boil, usually with one or more openings draining pus onto the skin. It is usually caused by staphylococcal infection.
  4. 4
    An unpopular or ugly building; an eyesore.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With eyes like carbuncles, the hellish Pyrrhus […]
  2. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

Etymology

From Middle English carbuncle, charbocle, from Old French carbuncle, charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus (“a small coal; a reddish kind of precious stone; a kind of tumor”), diminutive of carbō (“a coal, charcoal”). Doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel.

This word in other languages

carbunclo(Español)carboucle(Français)Karfunkel(Deutsch)

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 "carbuncle"?
"carbuncle" is spelled C-A-R-B-U-N-C-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/.
What does "carbuncle" mean?
As a noun, "carbuncle" means: A deep-red or fiery colored garnet or other dark red precious stone, especially when cut cabochon.
How do you pronounce "carbuncle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carbuncle" is /ˈkɑː.bʌŋ.kl̩/. 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 "carbuncle"?
From Middle English carbuncle, charbocle, from Old French carbuncle, charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus (“a small coal; a reddish kind of precious stone; a kind of tumor”), diminutive of carbō (“a coal, charcoal”). Doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel. 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 "carbuncle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

capacious#74,806calorific#74,803cheapness#74,823chiselled#74,830

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list