carrack

/ˈkæɹək/

//ˈkæɹək// noun

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

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

The verdict

“carrack” is uncommon English (frequency #94,658 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,658
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A large European sailing vessel of the 14th to 17th centuries similar to a caravel but square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carrack · carrack · English

carrack · rank #94,658 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,658
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carder

Nearest frequency peer: carder (-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 “carrack”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for carrack
PropertyValue
Headwordcarrack
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæɹək/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,658
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “carrack” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).carrackfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “carder” (#94,654), “cattleman” (#94,662), “canner” (#94,652). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carrack” is #94,658. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

carrack is uncommon English at frequency #94,658 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkæɹək/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A large European sailing vessel of the 14th to 17th centuries similar to a caravel but square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast.".

Zero misspellings are on record for carrack in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French caraque (compare Spanish and Portuguese carraca, Italian caracca), from Latin carraca, from Latin carrus (“wagon”); or perhaps from Arabic قَرَاقِير (qarāqīr). The correct English form is carrack, spelled C-A-R-R-A-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A large European sailing vessel of the 14th to 17th centuries similar to a caravel but square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They [the English] are all on fire / To purchaſe from the Spaniard. If their Carracks / Come deeply laden, vvee ſhall tugge vvith them / For golden ſpoile.
  2. Faith, he to night hath boarded a Land Carract, / If it proue lawfull prize, he's made for euer.

Etymology

From French caraque (compare Spanish and Portuguese carraca, Italian caracca), from Latin carraca, from Latin carrus (“wagon”); or perhaps from Arabic قَرَاقِير (qarāqīr).

This word in other languages

carraca(Español)caraque(Français)Karacke(Deutsch)

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 "carrack"?
"carrack" is spelled C-A-R-R-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæɹək/.
What does "carrack" mean?
As a noun, "carrack" means: A large European sailing vessel of the 14th to 17th centuries similar to a caravel but square-rigged on the foremast and mainmast and lateen-rigged on the mizzenmast.
How do you pronounce "carrack"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carrack" is /ˈkæɹək/. 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 "carrack"?
From French caraque (compare Spanish and Portuguese carraca, Italian caracca), from Latin carraca, from Latin carrus (“wagon”); or perhaps from Arabic قَرَاقِير (qarāqīr). 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 "carrack", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

chancey#94,670caballo#94,639bronchi#94,630Brennen#94,626

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list