cardinal number
"cardinal-number" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cardinal number” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A number used to denote quantity; a counting number; a cardinal.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cardinal number |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cardinal number” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cardinal number is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cardinal number, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is cardinal number, spelled C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L- -N-U-M-B-E-R.
Definition
- 1A number used to denote quantity; a counting number; a cardinal.
- 2A generalized kind of number used to denote the size of a set, including infinite sets.
- 3A word that expresses a countable quantity; a cardinal numeral.
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
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Using “cardinal number”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L- -N-U-M-B-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.