carton

/ˈkɑːtən/

//ˈkɑːtən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“carton” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,606. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,606
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.

Corpus desk

Index EN-carton · carton · English

carton · rank #22,606 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,606
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH caricature

Nearest frequency peer: caricature (-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 “carton”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “carton” 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).

carton vs Cato
50% similar
carton vs carts
67% similar
carton vs cotton
67% similar

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

Key facts for carton
PropertyValue
Headwordcarton
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑːtən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,606
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “carton”

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).cartonlands 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 “caricature” (#22,605), “cayman” (#22,607), “carefree” (#22,604). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “carton” is #22,606. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around carton (IPA /ˈkɑːtən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,606 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for carton, with forms such as "acrton", "carotn", and "carrton". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cato", "carts", "cotton", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone. Doublet of cartoon. The correct English form is carton, spelled C-A-R-T-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An inexpensive, disposable box-like container fashioned from either paper, paper with wax-covering (wax paper), or other lightweight material.
  2. 2
    A pack of cigarettes, usually ten, wrapped in cellophane or packed in a light cardboard box.
  3. 3
    A cardboard box that holds (usually 24) beer bottles or cans.
  4. 4
    A kind of thin pasteboard.
  5. 5
    A small disc within the bullseye of a target.
  6. 6
    A shot that strikes this disc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a carton of milk or eggs
  2. Mr Yunupingu was referred to the clinic where I was working at that time, Northside Clinic, for treatment of his alcohol problem. I think he described drinking between one and four cartons every single day - it's quite a phenomenal amount.

Etymology

Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone. Doublet of cartoon.

This word in other languages

caja(Español)carton(Français)Karton(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrton
  • carotn
  • carrton
  • cartno
  • cartonn
  • cartton
  • catron
  • ccarton
  • craton

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of carton - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acrton2carotn2carrton1cartno2cartonn1cartton1catron2ccarton1
Edit distance from "carton"

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 "carton"?
"carton" is spelled C-A-R-T-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑːtən/.
What does "carton" mean?
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.
What words are commonly confused with "carton"?
"carton" is commonly confused with "Cato", "carts", "cotton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "carton"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carton" is /ˈkɑːtən/. 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 "carton"?
Borrowed from French carton, from Italian cartone. Doublet of cartoon. 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 "carton", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cayman#22,607Brunei#22,600chests#22,613cliché#22,616

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

confer9 variantsCorbett9 variantsBalkan9 variantscraven9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list