cartouche

/kɑːˈtuːʃ/

//kɑːˈtuːʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cartouche” is uncommon English (frequency #71,381 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,381
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cartouche · cartouche · English

cartouche · rank #71,381 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,381
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carnitine

Nearest frequency peer: carnitine (-2 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 “cartouche”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cartouche
PropertyValue
Headwordcartouche
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɑːˈtuːʃ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#71,381
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cartouche” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cartouchefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “carnitine” (#71,379), “cardholder” (#71,378), “Cassian” (#71,384). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cartouche” is #71,381. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cartouche is uncommon English at frequency #71,381 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɑːˈtuːʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for cartouche in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cartouche, from Italian cartuccia, from carta, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs). Doublet of cartridge. The correct English form is cartouche, spelled C-A-R-T-O-U-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.
  2. 2
    An oval figure containing the characters of an important personal name, such as that of royal or divine people.
  3. 3
    A decorative emblem on a globe or map.
  4. 4
    A paper cartridge.
  5. 5
    A wooden case filled with balls, to be shot from a cannon.
  6. 6
    A gunner's bag for ammunition.
  7. 7
    A military pass for a soldier on furlough.
  8. 8
    A parchment disc placed on top of food to limit evaporation, or to prevent a skin forming on soups and stews.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Besides the uncial writing on the convex side of the sherd at the top, painted in dull red, on what had once been the lip of the amphora, was the cartouche already mentioned as being on the scarabaeus, which we had also found in the casket.
  2. In 1762, Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, a French priest who was a scholar of Eastern languages, had made the inspired guess that the cartouches set off words of great importance, such as the names of gods or rulers.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cartouche, from Italian cartuccia, from carta, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs). Doublet of cartridge.

This word in other languages

cartucho(Español)cartouche(Français)Kartusche(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 "cartouche"?
"cartouche" is spelled C-A-R-T-O-U-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑːˈtuːʃ/.
What does "cartouche" mean?
As a noun, "cartouche" means: An ornamental figure, often on an oval shield.
How do you pronounce "cartouche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cartouche" is /kɑːˈtuːʃ/. 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 "cartouche"?
Borrowed from French cartouche, from Italian cartuccia, from carta, from Latin charta, from Ancient Greek χάρτης (khártēs). Doublet of cartridge. 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 "cartouche", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

carnitine#71,379capitaine#71,377camelback#71,374Callender#71,372

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list