cards

/kɑɹdz/

//kɑɹdz// noun

"cards" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cards” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,786 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,786
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - plural of card

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cards vs CDs
20% similar
cards vs cas
60% similar
cards vs CRS
0% similar

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

Key facts for cards
PropertyValue
Headwordcards
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɑɹdz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,786
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cards” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cards is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɑɹdz/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,786 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "plural of card".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cards, with forms such as "acrds", "cadrs", and "cardds". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CDs", "cas", "CRS", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct English form is cards, spelled C-A-R-D-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    plural of card

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acrds,cadrs,cardds,cardss,carrds,carsd,ccards,crads

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acrds2cadrs2cardds1cardss1carrds1carsd2ccards1crads2
Edit distance from "cards"

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 "cards"?
"cards" is spelled C-A-R-D-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑɹdz/.
What does "cards" mean?
As a noun, "cards" means: plural of card
What words are commonly confused with "cards"?
"cards" is commonly confused with "CDs", "cas", "CRS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cards"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cards" is /kɑɹdz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cards" come from?
"cards" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “cards”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-R-D-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɑɹdz/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CDs” - see the side-by-side comparison. cards vs CDs
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list