catarrh

/kəˈtɑɹ/

//kəˈtɑɹ// noun

"catarrh" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“catarrh” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Inflammation of a mucous membrane.

Corpus desk

Index EN-catarrh · catarrh · English

catarrh · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for catarrh
PropertyValue
Headwordcatarrh
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈtɑɹ/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “catarrh” in English

catarrhranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

catarrh is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kəˈtɑɹ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

catarrh doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English catarre, from Medieval Latin catarrus, from Late Latin catarrhus, from Ancient Greek κατάρροος (katárrhoos), which is derived from καταρρέω (katarrhéō, “I flow down”), which is composed of κατά (katá, “down”) and ῥέω (rhéō, “I flow”). The correct English form is catarrh, spelled C-A-T-A-R-R-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inflammation of a mucous membrane.
  2. 2
    Inflammation of a mucous membrane.
  3. 3
    Inflammation of a mucous membrane.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And then as to your ſcurvys, and gouts, rheumatiſms, conſumptions, coughs and catarrhs, tar-vvater and turpentine vvill make you as ſound as a roach.
  2. Jonah mixed him a pitch-like potion of gin and molasses, which he swore was a sovereign cure for all colds and catarrhs whatsoever […]

Etymology

From Middle English catarre, from Medieval Latin catarrus, from Late Latin catarrhus, from Ancient Greek κατάρροος (katárrhoos), which is derived from καταρρέω (katarrhéō, “I flow down”), which is composed of κατά (katá, “down”) and ῥέω (rhéō, “I flow”).

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "catarrh"?
"catarrh" is spelled C-A-T-A-R-R-H. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈtɑɹ/.
What does "catarrh" mean?
As a noun, "catarrh" means: Inflammation of a mucous membrane.
How do you pronounce "catarrh"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "catarrh" is /kəˈtɑɹ/. 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 "catarrh"?
From Middle English catarre, from Medieval Latin catarrus, from Late Latin catarrhus, from Ancient Greek κατάρροος (katárrhoos), which is derived from καταρρέω (katarrhéō, “I flow down”), which is composed of κατά (katá, “down”) and ῥέω (rhéō, “I ... 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list