karst

/kɑːst/

//kɑːst// noun

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

"karst" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“karst” is uncommon English (frequency #51,797 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#51,797
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-karst · karst · English

karst · rank #51,797 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #51,797
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Kalahari

Nearest frequency peer: Kalahari (-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 “karst”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for karst
PropertyValue
Headwordkarst
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɑːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#51,797
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “karst” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).karstfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Kalahari” (#51,796), “Kenan” (#51,798), “Justus” (#51,795). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “karst” is #51,797. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

karst is uncommon English at frequency #51,797 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɑːst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.".

karst has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Karst. The German term and the Slovene placename Kras (the Karst Plateau) are from Proto-Slavic *korsъ, from Italo-Dalmatian carsus (cf. Italian carso), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“hard; rock”). More at Karst. The metathes… The correct English form is karst, spelled K-A-R-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In the time available to us on our geomorphological tour we were not able to see the higher and younger karsts of Kweichow and Yunnan and Kunming.
  2. The shells are just 0.04 inch (one millimeter) long and were found on a karst formation where conditions are damp, but the snails that inhabit them have yet to be observed.

Etymology

Borrowed from German Karst. The German term and the Slovene placename Kras (the Karst Plateau) are from Proto-Slavic *korsъ, from Italo-Dalmatian carsus (cf. Italian carso), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“hard; rock”). More at Karst. The metathesis in the Slovene term precludes German borrowing from Slovene.

This word in other languages

karst(Español)karst(Français)Karst(Deutsch)

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 "karst"?
"karst" is spelled K-A-R-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑːst/.
What does "karst" mean?
As a noun, "karst" means: A type of land formation, usually with many caves formed through the dissolving of limestone by underground drainage.
How do you pronounce "karst"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "karst" is /kɑːst/. 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 "karst"?
Borrowed from German Karst. The German term and the Slovene placename Kras (the Karst Plateau) are from Proto-Slavic *korsъ, from Italo-Dalmatian carsus (cf. Italian carso), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“hard; rock”). More at Karst. Th... 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 "karst", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Kenan#51,798Leong#51,819Lordy#51,830Louth#51,832

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list