metacarpal

/ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl/

//ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl// adj

"metacarpal" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“metacarpal” is uncommon English (frequency #80,670 among 4,057 “M” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,670
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of the metacarpus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-metacarpal · metacarpal · English

metacarpal · rank #80,670 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,670
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH meson

Nearest frequency peer: meson (-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 “metacarpal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for metacarpal
PropertyValue
Headwordmetacarpal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#80,670
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “metacarpal” 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).metacarpalfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “meson” (#80,669), “Mexicali” (#80,671), “Merwin” (#80,668). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “metacarpal” is #80,670. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

metacarpal is uncommon English at frequency #80,670 among 4,057 “M” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of the metacarpus.".

No misspelling variants are generated for metacarpal in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From metacarpus + -al or metacarp- + -al. The correct English form is metacarpal, spelled M-E-T-A-C-A-R-P-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of the metacarpus.

Etymology

From metacarpus + -al or metacarp- + -al.

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 "metacarpal"?
"metacarpal" is spelled M-E-T-A-C-A-R-P-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl/.
What does "metacarpal" mean?
As an adjective, "metacarpal" means: Of the metacarpus.
How do you pronounce "metacarpal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "metacarpal" is /ˌmɛt.əˈkɑː.pəl/. 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 "metacarpal"?
From metacarpus + -al or metacarp- + -al. 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 "metacarpal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list