opencast

adj

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

The verdict

“opencast” is uncommon English (frequency #82,622 among 1,431 “O” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#82,622
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to strip mining, in which material is removed from a surface that has been exposed

Corpus desk

Index EN-opencast · opencast · English

opencast · rank #82,622 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #82,622
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH optimality

Nearest frequency peer: optimality (+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 “opencast”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for opencast
PropertyValue
Headwordopencast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#82,622
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “opencast” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).opencastfalls 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: “optimality” (#82,623), “Orta” (#82,625), “ostentation” (#82,626). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “opencast” is #82,622. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

opencast is uncommon English at frequency #82,622 among 1,431 “O” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of or pertaining to strip mining, in which material is removed from a surface that has been exposed".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for opencast, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From open + cast. The correct English form is opencast, spelled O-P-E-N-C-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to strip mining, in which material is removed from a surface that has been exposed

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Britain's leading green commentator, George Monbiot, gives the head of the Campaign to Protect Rural England an unforgettable grilling, asking why the countryside watchdog opposes windfarms - but not opencast coal mines

Etymology

From open + cast.

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 "opencast"?
"opencast" is spelled O-P-E-N-C-A-S-T.
What does "opencast" mean?
As an adjective, "opencast" means: Of or pertaining to strip mining, in which material is removed from a surface that has been exposed
What is the origin of the word "opencast"?
From open + cast. 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 "opencast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list