cay

[kaj˧˧]

/[kaj˧˧]/ adj

The verdict

“cay” is an uncommon German word, ranked #96,793 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#96,793
frequency rank, German
3
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - scharf

Key facts for cay
PropertyValue
Headwordcay
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[kaj˧˧]
Letters3
Frequency rank#96,793
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cay” sits in German 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). cay lands here:

#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 German entry for cay is 3 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [kaj˧˧]. Corpus data places it at rank #96,793 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "scharf".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cay, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

No documented word history exists for this headword, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct German form is cay, spelled C-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    scharf

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cay"?
"cay" is spelled C-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is [kaj˧˧].
What does "cay" mean?
As an adjective, "cay" means: scharf
How do you pronounce "cay"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cay" is [kaj˧˧]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cay" come from?
"cay" is a German 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 “cay”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is C-A-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kaj˧˧] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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