carnaval

/kɑɹnəˈvɑl/

//kɑɹnəˈvɑl// noun

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

"carnaval" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carnaval” is uncommon English (frequency #51,598 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,598
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One of various large carnivals held before the beginning of Lent, especially in Latin America.

Key facts for carnaval
PropertyValue
Headwordcarnaval
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɑɹnəˈvɑl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#51,598
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “carnaval” 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). carnaval lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

carnaval is uncommon English at frequency #51,598 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɑɹnəˈvɑl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "One of various large carnivals held before the beginning of Lent, especially in Latin America.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for carnaval, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish carnaval, Portuguese carnaval. Doublet of carnival. The correct English form is carnaval, spelled C-A-R-N-A-V-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of various large carnivals held before the beginning of Lent, especially in Latin America.

Etymology

From Spanish carnaval, Portuguese carnaval. Doublet of carnival.

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 "carnaval"?
"carnaval" is spelled C-A-R-N-A-V-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑɹnəˈvɑl/.
What does "carnaval" mean?
As a noun, "carnaval" means: One of various large carnivals held before the beginning of Lent, especially in Latin America.
How do you pronounce "carnaval"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carnaval" is /kɑɹnəˈvɑl/. 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 "carnaval"?
From Spanish carnaval, Portuguese carnaval. Doublet of carnival. 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.

Using “carnaval”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-R-N-A-V-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɑɹnəˈvɑl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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