fracture

/ˈfɹæk.tjə/

//ˈfɹæk.tjə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"fracture" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“fracture” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,214 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#11,214
frequency rank, English
8
letters
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An instance of breaking, a place where something has broken.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

fracture vs fractured
89% similar
fracture vs feature
75% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for fracture
PropertyValue
Headwordfracture
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈfɹæk.tjə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,214
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fracture” 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). fracture lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for fracture is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈfɹæk.tjə/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,214 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for fracture, with forms such as "farcture", "ffracture", and "fraccture". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "fractured", "feature", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English fracture, from Old French fracture, from Latin frāctūra (“a breach, fracture, cleft”), from frangere (“to break”), past participle frāctus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-, whence also English break. See fraction. Doublet of … The correct English form is fracture, spelled F-R-A-C-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An instance of breaking, a place where something has broken.
  2. 2
    A break in bone or cartilage.
  3. 3
    A fault or crack in a rock.

Etymology

From Middle English fracture, from Old French fracture, from Latin frāctūra (“a breach, fracture, cleft”), from frangere (“to break”), past participle frāctus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-, whence also English break. See fraction. Doublet of fraktur.

This word in other languages

fractura(Español)fracture(Français)Knochenbruch(Deutsch)fratura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: farcture,ffracture,fraccture,fractrue,fractture,fractuer,fracturre,fracutre,fratcure,frcature,frracture,rfacture

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of fracture - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

farcture2ffracture1fraccture1fractrue2fractture1fractuer2fracturre1fracutre2
Edit distance from "fracture"

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 "fracture"?
"fracture" is spelled F-R-A-C-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfɹæk.tjə/.
What does "fracture" mean?
As a noun, "fracture" means: An instance of breaking, a place where something has broken.
What words are commonly confused with "fracture"?
"fracture" is commonly confused with "fractured", "feature". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "fracture"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fracture" is /ˈfɹæk.tjə/. 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 "fracture"?
From Middle English fracture, from Old French fracture, from Latin frāctūra (“a breach, fracture, cleft”), from frangere (“to break”), past participle frāctus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreg-, whence also English break. See fraction. D... 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 “fracture”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-R-A-C-T-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfɹæk.tjə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “fractured” - see the side-by-side comparison. fracture vs fractured
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list