carton
/ˈkɑɹtn̩/noun, verb
carton is spelled C-A-R-T-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, carton means “An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of carton is cartons.
How many letters and syllables are in carton?
| Letters | 6: C-A-R-T-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.5 times per million words; the 22,651st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is carton?
Carton appears 1.5 times per million words in written English, the 22,651st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce carton?
- UK /ˈkɑːtən/
- UK /ˈkɑːtn̩/
- US /ˈkɑɹtn̩/
Carton has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-carton.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with carton?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as carton from its last stressed vowel (/ɑɹtn/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: contra, cantor, craton.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of carton
- cartons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cartoning participle, present
- cartoned participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does carton mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.
a carton of milk or eggs
- 2
A pack of cigarettes, usually ten, wrapped in cellophane or packed in a light cardboard box.
- 3
AustraliaA cardboard box that holds (usually 24) beer bottles or cans.
- 4
archaicA kind of thin pasteboard.
- 5
archaicA small disc within the bullseye of a target.
- 6
archaicA shot that strikes this disc.
verb
- 1
To put in a carton.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate carton?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of carton: ctn.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Carton in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | carton , cartouche |
| German | Karton , Stange |
| Portuguese | caixa/embalagem de papel , cartela |
| Spanish | caja, envase de cartón, cartón, tetrabrik, brik , cajetilla |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does carton come from?
Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone. Doublet of cartoon.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).