etc.
/ˌɛt ˈsɛt.(ə.)ɹə/
"etc" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“etc.” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a phrase - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 4
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Abbreviation of et cetera: and so on; used to note that the rest of a list or piece of information has been left out on the assumption that it is similar or already known.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | etc. |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Phrase |
| IPA | /ˌɛt ˈsɛt.(ə.)ɹə/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “etc.” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for etc. is 4 letters long, classified as a phrase, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɛt ˈsɛt.(ə.)ɹə/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Abbreviation of et cetera: and so on; used to note that the rest of a list or piece of information has been left out on the assumption that it is similar or already known.".
No generated misspelling entries exist for etc. in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English et cetera, etc., from Latin etc., an abbreviation of et cetera (“and the rest [of the things]; and the other things”). The correct English form is etc., spelled E-T-C-..
Definition
- 1Abbreviation of et cetera: and so on; used to note that the rest of a list or piece of information has been left out on the assumption that it is similar or already known.
Etymology
From Middle English et cetera, etc., from Latin etc., an abbreviation of et cetera (“and the rest [of the things]; and the other things”).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “etc.”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is E-T-C-. - 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.