carob

/ˈkæɹəb/

//ˈkæɹəb// noun

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

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

The verdict

“carob” is uncommon English (frequency #83,099 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,099
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An evergreen shrub or tree, Ceratonia siliqua, native to the Mediterranean region.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carob · carob · English

carob · rank #83,099 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #83,099
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH canticle

Nearest frequency peer: canticle (-4 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.

Long-tail ranks near “carob”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “carob” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for carob
PropertyValue
Headwordcarob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæɹəb/
Letters5
Frequency rank#83,099
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “carob” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).carobfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “canticle” (#83,095), “catfishing” (#83,103), “Campeche” (#83,094). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carob” is #83,099. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

carob is uncommon English at frequency #83,099 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæɹəb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for carob, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Middle French carobe, from Arabic خَرُّوب (ḵarrūb), from Classical Syriac ܚܪܘܒܐ (ḥarrūḇā). The correct English form is carob, spelled C-A-R-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    An evergreen shrub or tree, Ceratonia siliqua, native to the Mediterranean region.
  2. 2
    The fruit of that tree.
  3. 3
    A sweet chocolate-like confection made with the pulp of the fruit.

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French carobe, from Arabic خَرُّوب (ḵarrūb), from Classical Syriac ܚܪܘܒܐ (ḥarrūḇā).

This word in other languages

algarrobo(Español)caroubier(Français)Johannisbrotbaum(Deutsch)alfarroba(Português)

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 "carob"?
"carob" is spelled C-A-R-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæɹəb/.
What does "carob" mean?
As a noun, "carob" means: An evergreen shrub or tree, Ceratonia siliqua, native to the Mediterranean region.
How do you pronounce "carob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carob" is /ˈkæɹəb/. 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 "carob"?
Borrowed from Middle French carobe, from Arabic خَرُّوب (ḵarrūb), from Classical Syriac ܚܪܘܒܐ (ḥarrūḇā). 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 "carob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Calma#83,092chavs#83,109bused#83,087chell#83,111

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list