# catastrophe

> English word · Noun · IPA /kəˈtæstɹəfi/ · frequency rank #13,679

## Definitions
1. Any large and disastrous event of great significance.
2. A disaster beyond expectations.
3. The dramatic event that initiates the resolution of the plot; the dénouement.
4. A type of bifurcation, where a system shifts between two stable states.

## Etymology
From Ancient Greek καταστροφή (katastrophḗ), from καταστρέφω (katastréphō, “I overturn”), from κατά (katá, “down, against”) + στρέφω (stréphō, “I turn”).

## Easily confused with
- **catastrophic** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/catastrophe-vs-catastrophic)

## Common misspellings (17)
`actastrophe`, `caatstrophe`, `catasrtophe`, `catasstrophe`, `catastorphe`, `catastrohpe`, `catastropeh`, `catastrophhe`, `catastropphe`, `catastrpohe`, `catastrrophe`, `catasttrophe`, `catatsrophe`, `catsatrophe`, `cattastrophe`, `ccatastrophe`, `ctaastrophe`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/catastrophe