miscarry

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

/ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/

//ˌmɪsˈkæɹi// verb

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

The verdict

“miscarry” is an uncommon English word, ranked #76,993 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#76,993
frequency rank, English: 8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To have an unfortunate accident of some kind; to be killed, or come to harm.

Key facts for miscarry
Property	Value
Headword	miscarry
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#76,993
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “miscarry” 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). miscarry lands here:

#76,993

#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 miscarry is 8 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #76,993 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No misspelling variants are generated for miscarry in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English miscarien. By surface analysis, mis- + carry. The correct English form is miscarry, spelled M-I-S-C-A-R-R-Y.

Definition

1
To have an unfortunate accident of some kind; to be killed, or come to harm.
2
To go astray; to do something wrong.
3
To have a miscarriage; to involuntarily abort a foetus.
4
To fail to achieve some purpose; to be unsuccessful, to go wrong (of a business, project etc.).
5
Of a letter etc.: to fail to reach its intended recipient.

Etymology

From Middle English miscarien. By surface analysis, mis- + carry.

This word in other languages

misslingen(Deutsch)abortar(Português)

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 "miscarry"?

"miscarry" is spelled M-I-S-C-A-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/.

What does "miscarry" mean?

As a verb, "miscarry" means: To have an unfortunate accident of some kind; to be killed, or come to harm.

How do you pronounce "miscarry"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "miscarry" is /ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/. 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 "miscarry"?

From Middle English miscarien. By surface analysis, mis- + carry. 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 “miscarry”

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

The one correct English spelling is M-I-S-C-A-R-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˌmɪsˈkæɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
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.