Charybdis
/kəˈɹɪbdɪs/
"charybdis" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Charybdis” is uncommon English (frequency #90,276 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #90,276
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dangerous whirlpool on the coast of Sicily opposite Scylla on the Italian coast.
Corpus desk
Index EN-charybdis · Charybdis · English
Charybdis · rank #90,276 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #90,276
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH Charis
Nearest frequency peer: Charis (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “Charybdis”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- chanter
chanter
9,729 corpus weight
- chaperoned
chaperoned
9,728 corpus weight
- Charis
Charis
9,726 corpus weight
- Charybdis
Charybdis
9,725 corpus weight
- Chaturvedi
Chaturvedi
9,723 corpus weight
- Cheeseman
Cheeseman
9,721 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “Charybdis” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Charybdis |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Proper noun |
| IPA | /kəˈɹɪbdɪs/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #90,276 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “Charybdis” in English
Rare enough to double-check
Charybdis is uncommon English at frequency #90,276 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /kəˈɹɪbdɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Charybdis doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek Χάρυβδις (Khárubdis). The correct English form is Charybdis, spelled C-H-A-R-Y-B-D-I-S.
Definition
- 1A dangerous whirlpool on the coast of Sicily opposite Scylla on the Italian coast.
- 2A personification of the above whirlpool as a female monster.
- 3Any dangerous whirlpool.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how Charybdis appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
I have never yet been able to steer my lovers through the Scylla of presence, or the Charybdis of absence.
…that night, wee ſailed merrily by the Maſcarenas, a Charybdis in 21 degrees, var.13 and 17 minutes…
Etymology
From Ancient Greek Χάρυβδις (Khárubdis).
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); 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 "Charybdis"?
What does "Charybdis" mean?
How do you pronounce "Charybdis"?
What is the origin of the word "Charybdis"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Charybdis", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).