cardinal virtue
"cardinal-virtue" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cardinal virtue” 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) - One of the four foundational virtues identified by Greek and Christian philosophers, on which other virtues depend: justice, temperance, prudence, or fortitude.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cardinal virtue |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cardinal virtue” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cardinal virtue is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "One of the four foundational virtues identified by Greek and Christian philosophers, on which other virtues depend: justice, temperance, prudence, or fortitude.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cardinal virtue, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge (hence applied to that on which something turns or depends), important, principal, chief”). The correct English form is cardinal virtue, spelled C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L- -V-I-R-T-U-E.
Definition
- 1One of the four foundational virtues identified by Greek and Christian philosophers, on which other virtues depend: justice, temperance, prudence, or fortitude.
Etymology
From Latin cardinālis (“pertaining to a hinge (hence applied to that on which something turns or depends), important, principal, chief”).
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 virtue”
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- -V-I-R-T-U-E - 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.