careen
/kəˈɹiːn/verb, noun
careen is spelled C-A-R-E-E-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, careen means “To heave a ship down on one side so as to expose the other, in order to clean it of barnacles and weed, or to repair it below the water line” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in careen?
| Letters | 6: C-A-R-E-E-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 105,204th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is careen?
Careen appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce careen?
- /kəˈɹiːn/
Careen has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-careen.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with careen?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as careen.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: carene.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of careen
- careens present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- careening participle, present
- careened participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does careen mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To heave a ship down on one side so as to expose the other, in order to clean it of barnacles and weed, or to repair it below the water line.
- 2
To tilt on one side.
- 3
To lurch or sway violently from side to side.
- 4
To tilt or lean while in motion.
- 5
USTo career, to move rapidly straight ahead, to rush carelessly.
- 6
USTo move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way.
noun
- 1
The position of a ship laid on one side.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Careen in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | caréner , se coucher , battre ou mettre en carène |
| German | kielholen , krängen , schlingern |
| Portuguese | carenar, querenar |
| Spanish | carenar, querenar , ir a toda velocidad |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does careen come from?
First attested in the late 16th century, from French carène (“keel”), from Italian carena, from Latin carīna (“keel of a ship”). Doublet of carene and carina.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).