carrot

/ˈkæɹ.ət/

//ˈkæɹ.ət// noun

"carrot" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“carrot” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,560 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,560
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, family Apiaceae, especially the subspecies sativus.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

carrot vs cart
67% similar
carrot vs carry
67% similar
carrot vs Cerro
50% similar

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

Key facts for carrot
PropertyValue
Headwordcarrot
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæɹ.ət/
Letters6
Frequency rank#12,560
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “carrot” 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). carrot lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for carrot is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæɹ.ət/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,560 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for carrot, with forms such as "acrrot", "carort", and "carot". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cart", "carry", "Cerro", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English karette and Middle French carotte, both from Latin carōta, from Ancient Greek καρωτόν (karōtón). Doublet of carotte and related to caraway. Displaced native Middle English more, from Old English more, moru (“edible root, parsnip, carrot”… The correct English form is carrot, spelled C-A-R-R-O-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, family Apiaceae, especially the subspecies sativus.
  2. 2
    A shade of orange similar to the flesh of most carrots (also called carrot orange).
  3. 3
    Any motivational tool; an incentive to do something.
  4. 4
    Someone from a rural background.
  5. 5
    A police officer from somewhere within the British Isles, but specifically outside of Greater London.
  6. 6
    A redhead; a ginger-haired person

Etymology

From Middle English karette and Middle French carotte, both from Latin carōta, from Ancient Greek καρωτόν (karōtón). Doublet of carotte and related to caraway. Displaced native Middle English more, from Old English more, moru (“edible root, parsnip, carrot”), related to German Möhre (“carrot”). * Noun sense of "motivational tool" refers to carrot and stick. * Verb sense in felt manufacture refers to the orange colour of drying furs.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acrrot,carort,carot,carrott,carrto,ccarrot,crarot

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carrot - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acrrot2carort2carot1carrott1carrto2ccarrot1crarot2
Edit distance from "carrot"

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 "carrot"?
"carrot" is spelled C-A-R-R-O-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæɹ.ət/.
What does "carrot" mean?
As a noun, "carrot" means: A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, family Apiaceae, especially the subspecies sativus.
What words are commonly confused with "carrot"?
"carrot" is commonly confused with "cart", "carry", "Cerro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carrot"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carrot" is /ˈkæɹ.ət/. 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 "carrot"?
From Middle English karette and Middle French carotte, both from Latin carōta, from Ancient Greek καρωτόν (karōtón). Doublet of carotte and related to caraway. Displaced native Middle English more, from Old English more, moru (“edible root, parsni... 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 “carrot”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-R-R-O-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkæɹ.ət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cart” - see the side-by-side comparison. carrot vs cart
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list