caruncle
/ˈka.ɹəŋ.kəl/noun
caruncle is spelled C-A-R-U-N-C-L-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, caruncle means “A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of caruncle is caruncles.
How many letters and syllables are in caruncle?
| Letters | 8: C-A-R-U-N-C-L-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 85 million words; the 293,966th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is caruncle?
Caruncle appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th 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 caruncle?
- UK /ˈka.ɹəŋ.kəl/
- UK /ˈka.ɹəŋ.kl̩/
- UK /kəˈɹʌŋ.kəl/
Caruncle has 3 syllables (counted from the pronunciation).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Neøn-caruncle.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of caruncle
- caruncles plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does caruncle mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A small, fleshy excrescence that is a normal part of an animal's anatomy.
- 2
Clipping of lacrimal caruncle: the red prominence at the inner corner of the eye.
- 3
A colored waxy or oily outgrowth near the micropyle of some seeds, attractive to ants which aid the seed's dispersal.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Caruncle in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense small, fleshy excrescence on an animal – see also wattle:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | caroncule |
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 caruncle come from?
Borrowed from Middle French caruncule, from Latin caruncula (“a little piece of flesh”), diminutive of carō (“flesh”). Doublet of caruncula.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).