scarab

/ˈskæɹəb/

//ˈskæɹəb// noun

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

"scarab" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“scarab” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,149. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,149
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A beetle of the species Scarabaeus sacer, sacred to the ancient Egyptians.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scarab · scarab · English

scarab · rank #38,149 · 9 variants · 17 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,149
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 17 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sawing

Nearest frequency peer: sawing (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “scarab”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “scarab” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

scarab vs scary
67% similar
scarab vs scare
67% similar
scarab vs scrap
67% similar

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

Key facts for scarab
PropertyValue
Headwordscarab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈskæɹəb/
Letters6
Frequency rank#38,149
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “scarab”

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).scarablands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “sawing” (#38,148), “Schengen” (#38,150), “savour” (#38,147). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “scarab” is #38,149. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around scarab (IPA /ˈskæɹəb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #38,149 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for scarab, with forms such as "csarab", "sacrab", and "scaarb". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "scary", "scare", "scrap", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus (“beetle”). Doublet of scarabaeus, now obsolete. The correct English form is scarab, spelled S-C-A-R-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A beetle of the species Scarabaeus sacer, sacred to the ancient Egyptians.
  2. 2
    Any species of beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae.
  3. 3
    A symbol, seal, amulet, or gem fashioned to resemble the sacred beetle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The scarab, which is a very small one, Leo had insisted upon having set in a massive gold ring, such as is generally used for signets, and it was this very ring that I now picked up.

Etymology

From Middle French scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus (“beetle”). Doublet of scarabaeus, now obsolete.

Synonyms

cockchaferdung beetleJune bugscarabaeusscarab beetle

This word in other languages

scarabée(Français)Skarabäus(Deutsch)escaravelho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • csarab
  • sacrab
  • scaarb
  • scarabb
  • scarba
  • scarrab
  • sccarab
  • scraab
  • sscarab

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

csarab2sacrab2scaarb2scarabb1scarba2scarrab1sccarab1scraab2
Edit distance from "scarab"

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 "scarab"?
"scarab" is spelled S-C-A-R-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈskæɹəb/.
What does "scarab" mean?
As a noun, "scarab" means: A beetle of the species Scarabaeus sacer, sacred to the ancient Egyptians.
What words are commonly confused with "scarab"?
"scarab" is commonly confused with "scary", "scare", "scrap". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "scarab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "scarab" is /ˈskæɹəb/. 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 "scarab"?
From Middle French scarabée, from Latin scarabaeus (“beetle”). Doublet of scarabaeus, now obsolete. 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 "scarab", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sawing#38,148savour#38,147sativa#38,146scythe#38,152

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Shaffer9 variantsSinaloa9 variantsSpires9 variantsRashad9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list