# career

> English word · Noun · IPA /kəˈɹɪə/ · frequency rank #896

## Definitions
1. One’s calling in life; one's working occupation or profession, especially when pursued seriously or over a long period of time.
2. The course, evolution, and ongoing advancement of one's working life, especially in one particular field.
3. The general course of one's action or conduct in life, or in a particular area of life.
4. Speed.
5. A jouster's path during a joust.
6. A short gallop of a horse.
7. The flight of a hawk.
8. A racecourse; the ground run over.

## Etymology
Mid 16th century, from French carrière (“road; racecourse”), from Italian carriera, from Old Occitan carreira, from Late Latin carrāria based on Latin carrus (“wheeled vehicle”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós, from *ḱers- (“to run”); alternatively, from Middle French carriere, from Old Occitan.

## Easily confused with
- **carr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carr)
- **Cree** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-cree)
- **cares** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-cares)
- **creek** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-creek)
- **cheer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-cheer)
- **creep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-creep)
- **Carey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carey)
- **creed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-creed)
- **cater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-cater)
- **carve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carve)
- **carte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carte)
- **carer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carer)
- **Carne** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carne)
- **Carew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carew)
- **corner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-corner)
- **Carter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carter)
- **carpet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carpet)
- **carved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carved)
- **Carmen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-carmen)
- **cartel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/career-vs-cartel)

## Common misspellings (7)
`acreer`, `caerer`, `careerr`, `carere`, `carreer`, `ccareer`, `craeer`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/career