cartridge

/ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cartridge” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,477. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,477
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The package consisting of the bullet, primer, and casing containing gunpowder; a round of ammunition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cartridge · cartridge · English

cartridge · rank #13,477 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,477
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cashier

Nearest frequency peer: cashier (+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 “cartridge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cartridge” 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).

cartridge vs carriage
78% similar
cartridge vs Cambridge
67% similar

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

Key facts for cartridge
PropertyValue
Headwordcartridge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,477
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cartridge”

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).cartridgelands 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 “cashier” (#13,478), “calculating” (#13,475), “cigar” (#13,479). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cartridge” is #13,477. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around cartridge (IPA /ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,477 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for cartridge, with forms such as "acrtridge", "carrtidge", and "carrtridge". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "carriage", "Cambridge", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Corruption of earlier cartage, from French cartouche, from Italian cartoccio (“roll of paper”), from Medieval Latin carta (“paper”). Doublet of cartouche. The correct English form is cartridge, spelled C-A-R-T-R-I-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The package consisting of the bullet, primer, and casing containing gunpowder; a round of ammunition.
  2. 2
    A prefabricated subassembly that can be easily installed in or removed from a larger mechanism or replaced with another interchangeable subassembly.
  3. 3
    A vessel which contains the ink or toner for a computer printer and can be easily replaced with another.
  4. 4
    Magnetic tape storage, used for storing (backup) copies of data.
  5. 5
    A removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices, used for rapid loading of software onto a home computer or video game console.
  6. 6
    A small paper package, e.g. in an old book about making printer's type: After all the type has been cast: "The Boy will paper up each sort in a cartridge by itself".

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Still, a dozen men with rifles, and cartridges to match, stayed behind when they filed through a white aldea lying silent amid the cane, and the Sin Verguenza swung into slightly quicker stride.
  2. The program generates a catalogue of the files on the cartridge selected by the user, reads the catalogue into memory and erases the cartridge copy, so that an up-to-date copy is always generated.

Etymology

Corruption of earlier cartage, from French cartouche, from Italian cartoccio (“roll of paper”), from Medieval Latin carta (“paper”). Doublet of cartouche.

This word in other languages

cartucho(Español)cartouche(Français)Patrone(Deutsch)cartucho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acrtridge
  • carrtidge
  • carrtridge
  • cartirdge
  • cartrdige
  • cartriddge
  • cartrideg
  • cartridgge
  • cartrigde
  • cartrridge
  • carttridge
  • catrridge
  • ccartridge
  • cratridge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cartridge - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acrtridge2carrtidge2carrtridge1cartirdge2cartrdige2cartriddge1cartrideg2cartridgge1
Edit distance from "cartridge"

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 "cartridge"?
"cartridge" is spelled C-A-R-T-R-I-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "cartridge" mean?
As a noun, "cartridge" means: The package consisting of the bullet, primer, and casing containing gunpowder; a round of ammunition.
What words are commonly confused with "cartridge"?
"cartridge" is commonly confused with "carriage", "Cambridge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cartridge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cartridge" is /ˈkɑː.tɹɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "cartridge"?
Corruption of earlier cartage, from French cartouche, from Italian cartoccio (“roll of paper”), from Medieval Latin carta (“paper”). Doublet of cartouche. 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 "cartridge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Colombian#13,485ambiguous#13,460defective#13,494deserving#13,497

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

concession14 variantsdiscourage14 variantsaffirmative14 variantsdisgusted14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list