cartilage

/ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"cartilage" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cartilage” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,582. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,582
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A usually translucent and somewhat elastic, dense, nonvascular connective tissue found in various forms in the larynx and respiratory tract, in structures such as the external ear, and in the artic...

Corpus desk

Index EN-cartilage · cartilage · English

cartilage · rank #20,582 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,582
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Carole

Nearest frequency peer: Carole (-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 “cartilage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cartilage” 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).

cartilage vs carriage
78% similar
cartilage vs Carthage
67% similar

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

Key facts for cartilage
PropertyValue
Headwordcartilage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#20,582
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cartilage”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Carole” (#20,581), “casket” (#20,583), “camper” (#20,580). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cartilage” is #20,582. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around cartilage (IPA /ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,582 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for cartilage, with forms such as "acrtilage", "caritlage", and "carrtilage". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "carriage", "Carthage", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilāgō. Partially displaced native gristle, from Old English gristel. The correct English form is cartilage, spelled C-A-R-T-I-L-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A usually translucent and somewhat elastic, dense, nonvascular connective tissue found in various forms in the larynx and respiratory tract, in structures such as the external ear, and in the articulating surfaces of joints. It composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos, being replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates.
  2. 2
    A particular structure made of cartilage.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilāgō. Partially displaced native gristle, from Old English gristel.

This word in other languages

cartílago(Español)cartilage(Français)Knorpel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrtilage
  • caritlage
  • carrtilage
  • cartialge
  • cartilaeg
  • cartilagge
  • cartilgae
  • cartillage
  • cartliage
  • carttilage
  • catrilage
  • ccartilage
  • cratilage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acrtilage2caritlage2carrtilage1cartialge2cartilaeg2cartilagge1cartilgae2cartillage1
Edit distance from "cartilage"

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 "cartilage"?
"cartilage" is spelled C-A-R-T-I-L-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "cartilage" mean?
As a noun, "cartilage" means: A usually translucent and somewhat elastic, dense, nonvascular connective tissue found in various forms in the larynx and respiratory tract, in structures such as the external ear, and in the artic...
What words are commonly confused with "cartilage"?
"cartilage" is commonly confused with "carriage", "Carthage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cartilage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cartilage" is /ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "cartilage"?
Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilāgō. Partially displaced native gristle, from Old English gristel. 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 "cartilage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bandwagon#20,562attaching#20,560detriment#20,607advisable#20,551

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

disparate13 variantsFukushima13 variantstornadoes13 variantsGuangzhou13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list