contracture

/kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)/

//kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)// noun

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

"contracture" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“contracture” is uncommon English (frequency #95,849 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#95,849
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An abnormal, sometimes permanent, contraction of a muscle or skin; a deformity so caused.

Corpus desk

Index EN-contracture · contracture · English

contracture · rank #95,849 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #95,849
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contrarily

Nearest frequency peer: contrarily (+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 “contracture”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “contracture” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for contracture
PropertyValue
Headwordcontracture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)/
Letters11
Frequency rank#95,849
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “contracture” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “contrarily” (#95,850), “Coningsby” (#95,847), “conurbation” (#95,851). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “contracture” is #95,849. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

contracture is uncommon English at frequency #95,849 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An abnormal, sometimes permanent, contraction of a muscle or skin; a deformity so caused.".

contracture doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French contracture, from Latin contractura. The correct English form is contracture, spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An abnormal, sometimes permanent, contraction of a muscle or skin; a deformity so caused.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how contracture appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Even if in the initial phase of acute hand burn injury all treatment measures have been executed properly, postburn deformities still occur and are the most common cause of skin contracture in the hand. Postburn scarring and contractures affect the function as well as the aesthetic appearance of the hand and remain the most frustrating late complication o…
  2. In general, the technique resulted in faster healing, less car formation, and less contracture than pinch grafting.

Etymology

From French contracture, from Latin contractura.

This word in other languages

contractura(Español)contracture(Français)Kontraktur(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 "contracture"?
"contracture" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-A-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)/.
What does "contracture" mean?
As a noun, "contracture" means: An abnormal, sometimes permanent, contraction of a muscle or skin; a deformity so caused.
How do you pronounce "contracture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "contracture" is /kənˈtɹæktjʊə(ɹ)/. 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 "contracture"?
From French contracture, from Latin contractura. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "contracture", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

conurbation#95,851coterminous#95,855clenbuterol#95,830earthmoving#95,928

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list