fracas

Name: fracas, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈfɹækɑː/

//ˈfɹækɑː// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“fracas” is uncommon English (frequency #60,816 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,816
frequency rank, English: 18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.

Key facts for fracas
Property	Value
Headword	fracas
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈfɹækɑː/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#60,816
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fracas” 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). fracas lands here:

#60,816

#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

fracas is uncommon English at frequency #60,816 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈfɹækɑː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.".

No misspelling variants are generated for fracas in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French fracas, derived from fracasser, from Italian fracassare, from fra- + cassare, equivalent to Latin infra + quassare. The correct English form is fracas, spelled F-R-A-C-A-S.

Definition

1
A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.

Etymology

From French fracas, derived from fracasser, from Italian fracassare, from fra- + cassare, equivalent to Latin infra + quassare.

This word in other languages

alboroto(Español)bagarre(Français)Tumult(Deutsch)rixa(Português)

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 "fracas"?

"fracas" is spelled F-R-A-C-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹækɑː/.

What does "fracas" mean?

As a noun, "fracas" means: A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.

How do you pronounce "fracas"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fracas" is /ˈfɹækɑː/. 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 "fracas"?

From French fracas, derived from fracasser, from Italian fracassare, from fra- + cassare, equivalent to Latin infra + quassare. 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 “fracas”

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

The one correct English spelling is F-R-A-C-A-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈfɹækɑː/ (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.