Celtic
/ˈkɛltɪk/
"celtic" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Celtic” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,104 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.
- #7,104
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A branch of the Indo-European languages that was spread widely over Western and Central Europe in the pre-Christian era.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Celtic |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɛltɪk/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #7,104 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Celtic” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for Celtic is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɛltɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,104 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Celtic, with forms such as "cceltic", "celitc", and "celltic". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "colic", "critic", "cystic", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French celtique or Latin celticus, equivalent to Celt + -ic. First attested in the 17th century. The correct English form is Celtic, spelled C-E-L-T-I-C.
Definition
- 1A branch of the Indo-European languages that was spread widely over Western and Central Europe in the pre-Christian era.
- 2Any of several sports teams. See Wikipedia for a list.
- 3A player for any of several teams named the Celtics.
- 4Celtic F.C., a football club from Glasgow, Scotland.
Etymology
Borrowed from French celtique or Latin celticus, equivalent to Celt + -ic. First attested in the 17th century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: cceltic,celitc,celltic,celtci,celticc,celttic,cetlic,cletic,ecltic
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Celtic - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
How do you spell "Celtic"?
What does "Celtic" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "Celtic"?
How do you pronounce "Celtic"?
What is the origin of the word "Celtic"?
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Using “Celtic”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-E-L-T-I-C - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɛltɪk/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “colic” - see the side-by-side comparison. Celtic vs colic
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.