cataract
Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.
Detailed reference entry for the English word "cataract", 8-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "cataract" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "cataract" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.
The verdict
“cataract” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #29,957 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #29,957
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
Dominant Wiktionary sense: A (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cataract |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkætəɹækt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #29,957 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cataract” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cataract is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkætəɹækt/. Corpus data places it at rank #29,957 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for cataract, with forms such as "actaract", "caatract", and "cataarct". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cataracts", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from cataracts (noun (plural only)), from Late Middle English cataract, cataracta, cateract, cateracte (“floodgate of heaven”), from Old French cataracte (modern French cataracte), and from its etymon Latin cataracta (“flo… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is cataract, spelled C-A-T-A-R-A-C-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Definition
- 1A (large) waterfall, specifically one flowing over the edge of a cliff.
- 2A flood of water; specifically, steep rapids in a river.
- 3An overwhelming downpour or rush; a flood.
- 4A type of governor used in single-acting steam engines, where a flow of water through an opening regulates the stroke.
- 5Synonym of waterspout (“a whirlwind that forms over water”).
Etymology
PIE word *ḱóm The noun is derived from cataracts (noun (plural only)), from Late Middle English cataract, cataracta, cateract, cateracte (“floodgate of heaven”), from Old French cataracte (modern French cataracte), and from its etymon Latin cataracta (“floodgate; waterfall”), from Ancient Greek καταρ(ρ)άκτης (katar(rh)áktēs, “(noun) waterfall; (adjective) rushing downwards”), from καταρ(ρ)ᾱ́σσω (katar(rh)ā́ssō, “to pour down; to rush downwards”) + -της (-tēs, suffix forming nouns denoting a state of being). Καταρ(ρ)ᾱ́σσω (Katar(rh)ā́ssō) is derived either: * from κᾰτᾰ- (kătă-, prefix meaning ‘downwards’) + ἀρᾰ́σσω (arắssō, “to dash to pieces; to strike”) (further etymology unknown, possibly onomatopoeic) or ῥᾱ́σσω (rhā́ssō, “to dash; to strike”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wreh₂ǵʰ- (“to pound, strike”)); or * from καταρρηγνύναι (katarrhēgnúnai, “to break down”). The verb is derived from the noun.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: actaract,caatract,cataarct,cataracct,cataractt,cataratc,catarcat,catarract,catraact,cattaract,ccataract,ctaaract
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cataract - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
Edit distance from "cataract"
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.
Cite this page
Free to reuse with attribution (CC BY-SA). Copy the citation:
PlainSpell, “cataract, English word data” (May 6, 2026). Derived from Wiktionary (kaikki.org, CC BY-SA) and an open word-frequency list. https://plainspell.com/en/word/cataract
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “cataract”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-T-A-R-A-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkætəɹækt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “cataracts” - see the side-by-side comparison. cataract vs cataracts
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Nearby English words
Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index: