carcass
/ˈkɑɹkəs/
"carcass" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“carcass” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #22,028 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #22,028
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The body of a dead animal, especially a vertebrate or other animal having flesh.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | carcass |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɑɹkəs/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #22,028 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “carcass” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for carcass is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɑɹkəs/. Corpus data places it at rank #22,028 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for carcass, with forms such as "acrcass", "cacrass", and "caracss". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "crass", "caress", "Caucasus", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Dated from the late 13th Century C.E.; from Anglo-Norman carcois, possibly related to Old French charcois. Cognate with French carcasse. But cf. also Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬵𐬭𐬐𐬁𐬯𐬀 (kahrkās, “vulture”), and Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (klkʾs /kargās/, … The correct English form is carcass, spelled C-A-R-C-A-S-S.
Definition
- 1The body of a dead animal, especially a vertebrate or other animal having flesh.
- 2The body of a slaughtered animal, stripped of unwanted viscera, etc.
- 3The body of a dead human, a corpse.
- 4The body of a live person or animal.
- 5The framework of a structure, such as a cabinet, especially one not normally seen.
- 6An early incendiary ship-to-ship projectile consisting of an iron shell filled with saltpetre, sulphur, resin, turpentine, antimony and tallow with vents for flame.
Etymology
Dated from the late 13th Century C.E.; from Anglo-Norman carcois, possibly related to Old French charcois. Cognate with French carcasse. But cf. also Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬵𐬭𐬐𐬁𐬯𐬀 (kahrkās, “vulture”), and Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (klkʾs /kargās/, “vulture”), whence Persian کرکس (karkas, “vulture”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acrcass,cacrass,caracss,carcas,carccass,carcsas,carrcass,ccarcass,cracass
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carcass - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "carcass"?
What does "carcass" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "carcass"?
How do you pronounce "carcass"?
What is the origin of the word "carcass"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “carcass”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-R-C-A-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɑɹkəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “crass” - see the side-by-side comparison. carcass vs crass
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.