carmine

/ˈkɑːmaɪn/

//ˈkɑːmaɪn// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"carmine" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carmine” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,585. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,585
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A purplish-red pigment, made from dye obtained from the cochineal beetle; carminic acid or any of its derivatives.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carmine · carmine · English

carmine · rank #29,585 · 10 variants · 12 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #29,585
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 12 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH caved

Nearest frequency peer: caved (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “carmine”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “carmine” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

carmine vs Carne
57% similar
carmine vs Carrie
57% similar
carmine vs carving
71% similar

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

Key facts for carmine
PropertyValue
Headwordcarmine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑːmaɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#29,585
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “carmine”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “caved” (#29,586), “carbide” (#29,583), “caverns” (#29,587). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carmine” is #29,585. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around carmine (IPA /ˈkɑːmaɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,585 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for carmine, with forms such as "acrmine", "camrine", and "carimne". 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 12 confusable-pair relationships, "Carne", "Carrie", "carving", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis From French carmin, from irregular Medieval Latin carminium, itself from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz, “crimson, kermes”) from Persian *کرمست (*kermest), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), plus or with influence from Latin min… The correct English form is carmine, spelled C-A-R-M-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A purplish-red pigment, made from dye obtained from the cochineal beetle; carminic acid or any of its derivatives.
  2. 2
    A purplish-red colour, resembling that pigment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how carmine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. 1967, Time, "The Case of the Dubious Dye," 6 January, 1967, https://web.archive.org/web/20130721101257/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,843172,00.html Cases of cubana salmonellosis in three other states were traced to carmine red, and supplies were called in. […] But authorities have been checking other places for carmine red, knowing that…
  2. He wore a great coat in midsummer, being affected with the trembling delirium, and his face was the color of carmine.

Etymology

PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis From French carmin, from irregular Medieval Latin carminium, itself from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz, “crimson, kermes”) from Persian *کرمست (*kermest), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), plus or with influence from Latin minium. Compare crimson and kermes.

Synonyms

crimsoncochinealC.I. 75470E120

This word in other languages

carmín(Español)Karmin(Deutsch)carmim(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrmine
  • camrine
  • carimne
  • carmien
  • carminne
  • carmmine
  • carmnie
  • carrmine
  • ccarmine
  • cramine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carmine - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acrmine2camrine2carimne2carmien2carminne1carmmine1carmnie2carrmine1
Edit distance from "carmine"

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 "carmine"?
"carmine" is spelled C-A-R-M-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑːmaɪn/.
What does "carmine" mean?
As a noun, "carmine" means: A purplish-red pigment, made from dye obtained from the cochineal beetle; carminic acid or any of its derivatives.
What words are commonly confused with "carmine"?
"carmine" is commonly confused with "Carne", "Carrie", "carving". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carmine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carmine" is /ˈkɑːmaɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "carmine"?
PIE word *kʷŕ̥mis From French carmin, from irregular Medieval Latin carminium, itself from Arabic قِرْمِز (qirmiz, “crimson, kermes”) from Persian *کرمست (*kermest), ultimately from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kŕ̥miš (“worm”), plus or with influence from... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "carmine", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

carbide#29,583caverns#29,587caloric#29,580buoyant#29,575

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Clarissa10 variantscurtail10 variantsbailing10 variantsArundel10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list