carate

\ka.ʁat\

/\ka.ʁat\/ noun

The verdict

“carate” is outside the top-ranked French vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dermatose due au spirochète Treponema carateum. Elle entraîne des variation de couleur de la peau, elle se transmet par simple contact et est endémique de l’Amérique du Sud et centrale.

Key facts for carate
PropertyValue
Headwordcarate
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ka.ʁat\
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “carate” sits in French frequency

carate falls outside the top-100,000 ranked French words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for carate is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ka.ʁat\. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Dermatose due au spirochète Treponema carateum. Elle entraîne des variation de couleur de la peau, elle se transmet par simple contact et est endémique de l’Amérique du Sud et centrale.".

carate doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular French conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is carate, spelled C-A-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dermatose due au spirochète Treponema carateum. Elle entraîne des variation de couleur de la peau, elle se transmet par simple contact et est endémique de l’Amérique du Sud et centrale.

Synonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "carate"?
"carate" is spelled C-A-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ka.ʁat\.
What does "carate" mean?
As a noun, "carate" means: Dermatose due au spirochète Treponema carateum. Elle entraîne des variation de couleur de la peau, elle se transmet par simple contact et est endémique de l’Amérique du Sud et centrale.
How do you pronounce "carate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "carate" is \ka.ʁat\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "carate" come from?
"carate" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “carate”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-A-R-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ka.ʁat\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list