fracas

/ˈfɹækɑː/

//ˈfɹækɑː// noun

"fracas" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fracas” is uncommon English (frequency #60,816 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#60,816
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.

Corpus desk

Index EN-fracas · fracas · English

fracas · rank #60,816 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #60,816
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH frist

Nearest frequency peer: frist (+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 “fracas”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for fracas
PropertyValue
Headwordfracas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɹækɑː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#60,816
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “fracas” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).fracasfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “frist” (#60,817), “forefinger” (#60,814), “fundy” (#60,818). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “fracas” is #60,816. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

fracas is uncommon English at frequency #60,816 among 2,507 “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. 1
    A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Fanny read to herself that “it was with infinite concern the newspaper had to announce to the world, a matrimonial fracas in the family of Mr. R. of Wimpole Street; the beautiful Mrs. R. whose name had not long been enrolled in the lists of hymen, and who had promised to become so brilliant a leader in the fashionable world, having quitted her husband’s r…
  2. The Oregon-Northern California region had lost much of its population during the fracas of 1980; it had been heavily hit by Red Chinese guided missiles, and of course the clouds of fallout had blanketed it in the subsequent decade.

Etymology

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

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); 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list