et cetera
/ˌɛt ˈsɛt(ə)ɹə/
"et-cetera" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“et cetera” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a phrase. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unabbreviated form of etc..
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | et cetera |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /ˌɛt ˈsɛt(ə)ɹə/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “et cetera” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
et cetera is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aphrase, transcribed /ˌɛt ˈsɛt(ə)ɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Unabbreviated form of etc..".
et cetera doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English et cetera, from Latin et cētera (“and the other things; and the rest of the things”). The correct English form is et cetera, spelled E-T- -C-E-T-E-R-A.
Definition
- 1Unabbreviated form of etc..
Etymology
From Middle English et cetera, from Latin et cētera (“and the other things; and the rest of the things”).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “et cetera”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-T- -C-E-T-E-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɛt ˈsɛt(ə)ɹə/ (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
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.