karaoke

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

/ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/

//ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki// noun

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

The verdict

“karaoke” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,507. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,507
frequency rank, English: 9,255
“K” headwords: 9
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

karaoke vs karate

71% similar

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

Key facts for karaoke
Property	Value
Headword	karaoke
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#16,507
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “karaoke” 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). karaoke lands here:

#16,507

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around karaoke (IPA /ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,507 among 9,255 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for karaoke, with forms such as "akraoke", "kaaroke", and "karakoe". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "karate", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Japanese 空 Ancient Greek ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai) Ancient Greek -τρᾰ (-tră) Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra)bor. Latin orchēstrabor. English orchestrabor. Japanese オーケストラ Japanese カラオケbor. English karaoke Borrowed from Japanese カラオケ (karaoke), … The correct English form is karaoke, spelled K-A-R-A-O-K-E.

Definition

1
A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displayed for the singer on a screen in time with the music.
2
A karaoke session.
3
A karaoke parlour.
4
An exercise in which the feet are alternately placed in front of each other while walking sideways to stretch various parts of the lower body and core.

Etymology

Etymology tree Japanese 空 Ancient Greek ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai) Ancient Greek -τρᾰ (-tră) Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra)bor. Latin orchēstrabor. English orchestrabor. Japanese オーケストラ Japanese カラオケbor. English karaoke Borrowed from Japanese カラオケ (karaoke), from 空(から) (kara, “empty”) + オケ (oke, “orchestra”), a clipping of オーケストラ (ōkesutora), from English orchestra.

This word in other languages

karaoke(Español)karaoké(Français)Karaoke(Deutsch)karaokê(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

akraoke
kaaroke
karakoe
karaoek
karaokke
karoake
karraoke
kkaraoke
kraaoke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "karaoke"

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 "karaoke"?

"karaoke" is spelled K-A-R-A-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/.

What does "karaoke" mean?

As a noun, "karaoke" means: A form of entertainment popular in clubs, at parties, etc, in which individual members of the public sing along to pre-recorded instrumental versions of popular songs, the lyrics of which are displ...

What words are commonly confused with "karaoke"?

"karaoke" is commonly confused with "karate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "karaoke"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "karaoke" is /ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/. 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 "karaoke"?

Etymology tree Japanese 空 Ancient Greek ὀρχέομαι (orkhéomai) Ancient Greek -τρᾰ (-tră) Ancient Greek ὀρχήστρα (orkhḗstra)bor. Latin orchēstrabor. English orchestrabor. Japanese オーケストラ Japanese カラオケbor. English karaoke Borrowed from Japanese カラオケ (... See the full etymology section above for more details.

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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 “karaoke”

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

The one correct English spelling is K-A-R-A-O-K-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈkæ.ɹiˌəʊ.ki/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “karate” - see the side-by-side comparison. karaoke vs karate
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.