concertina

/ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/

//ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"concertina" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“concertina” is uncommon English (frequency #68,952 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,952
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A musical instrument, like the various accordions, that is a member of the free-reed family of musical instruments, typically having buttons on both ends.

Key facts for concertina
PropertyValue
Headwordconcertina
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#68,952
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “concertina” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). concertina lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

concertina is uncommon English at frequency #68,952 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for concertina in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From concert + -ina. The correct English form is concertina, spelled C-O-N-C-E-R-T-I-N-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A musical instrument, like the various accordions, that is a member of the free-reed family of musical instruments, typically having buttons on both ends.
  2. 2
    Something multiply folded like a concertina, such as a folded book, a bus door or a set of picture frames that are folded together.
  3. 3
    Coiled barbed wire for use as an obstacle.
  4. 4
    A type of booklet label, consisting of up to 32 pages of booklet as an insert.

Etymology

From concert + -ina.

This word in other languages

acordeón(Español)accordéon(Français)Ziehharmonika(Deutsch)

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 "concertina"?
"concertina" is spelled C-O-N-C-E-R-T-I-N-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/.
What does "concertina" mean?
As a noun, "concertina" means: A musical instrument, like the various accordions, that is a member of the free-reed family of musical instruments, typically having buttons on both ends.
How do you pronounce "concertina"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "concertina" is /ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/. 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 "concertina"?
From concert + -ina. 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.

Using “concertina”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-C-E-R-T-I-N-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌkɒnsəˈtiːnə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list