cathode
/ˈkæθ.oʊd/
"cathode" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cathode” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,767. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #27,767
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 10
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An electrode, of a cell or other electrically polarized device, through which a positive current of electricity flows outwards (and thus, electrons flow inwards). It can have either a negative or a...
Corpus desk
Index EN-cathode · cathode · English
cathode · rank #27,767 · 10 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #27,767
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 10 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH categorically
Nearest frequency peer: categorically (-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 “cathode”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- byproduct
byproduct
72,238 corpus weight
- Caspian
Caspian
72,236 corpus weight
- categorical…
categorically
72,235 corpus weight
- cathode
cathode
72,234 corpus weight
- ceded
ceded
72,233 corpus weight
- cheaters
cheaters
72,232 corpus weight
What this shows “cathode” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cathode |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkæθ.oʊd/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #27,767 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cathode”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 10 spelling variants around cathode (IPA /ˈkæθ.oʊd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,767 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for cathode, with forms such as "acthode", "cahtode", and "cathdoe". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “down”) and ὁδός (hodós, “journey, way”), equivalent to Ancient Greek κάθοδος (káthodos, “way down, descent”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By sur… The correct English form is cathode, spelled C-A-T-H-O-D-E.
Definition
- 1An electrode, of a cell or other electrically polarized device, through which a positive current of electricity flows outwards (and thus, electrons flow inwards). It can have either a negative or a positive voltage with respect to anode of the same polarized device (depending on whether the device is a load or a source, respectively).
- 2The electrode at which chemical reduction of cations takes place, usually resulting in the deposition of metal onto the electrode.
- 3The electrode from which electrons are emitted into a vacuum tube or gas-filled tube.
- 4That electrode of a semiconductor device which is connected to the n-type material of a p-n junction.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek κατα- (kata-, “down”) and ὁδός (hodós, “journey, way”), equivalent to Ancient Greek κάθοδος (káthodos, “way down, descent”). Coined by English polymath William Whewell in 1834 for Michael Faraday, who introduced it later that year. By surface analysis, cath- (alternative form of cata-) + -ode.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- acthode
- cahtode
- cathdoe
- cathhode
- cathodde
- cathoed
- catohde
- catthode
- ccathode
- ctahode
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cathode - 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.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cathode", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).