crotale
/ˈkroʊtɑːl/
"crotale" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“crotale” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A percussion instrument of archaic origin, resembling a metal castanet or cymbal.
Corpus desk
Index EN-crotale · crotale · English
crotale · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | crotale |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkroʊtɑːl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “crotale” in English
Rare enough to double-check
crotale is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkroʊtɑːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A percussion instrument of archaic origin, resembling a metal castanet or cymbal.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for crotale, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French crotale. The correct English form is crotale, spelled C-R-O-T-A-L-E.
Definition
- 1A percussion instrument of archaic origin, resembling a metal castanet or cymbal.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how crotale appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
In contrast to the cymbals of beaten metal, the British Museum collection includes several pairs of cast crotales. Strictly speaking, crotales are metal castanets, resembling cymbals. A pair of bronze crotales (from Thebes c. 200 BC) with large central boss and upturned rim, measure 2⁷/₁₆ inches in diameter, a thickness of approximately ¹/₈ inch, and a we…
Orchestrally, however, crotales and antique cymbals are virtually synonymous, the only difference being that strictly speaking crotales are thicker and less finely wrought and unlike antique cymbals are not held freely in the hands.
Etymology
From French crotale.
Synonyms
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.