cabal

/kəˈbɑːl/

//kəˈbɑːl// noun

"cabal" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cabal” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,392. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,392
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A putative, secret organization of individuals gathered for a political purpose.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cabal · cabal · English

cabal · rank #27,392 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,392
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cabrera

Nearest frequency peer: Cabrera (+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 “cabal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cabal” 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).

cabal vs cal
60% similar
cabal vs CBA
0% similar
cabal vs call
60% similar

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

Key facts for cabal
PropertyValue
Headwordcabal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈbɑːl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,392
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cabal”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).caballands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Cabrera” (#27,393), “bunting” (#27,390), “cadre” (#27,394). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cabal” is #27,392. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cabal (IPA /kəˈbɑːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,392 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cabal, with forms such as "acbal", "caabl", and "caball". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cal", "CBA", "call", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabbala, which in turn is derived from Hebrew קַבָּלָה (kabalá, “Jewish mysticism”, literally “reception, something received”) (such as knowledge). Doublet of Kabbalah, as well as, more distantly, ghibli. The correct English form is cabal, spelled C-A-B-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A putative, secret organization of individuals gathered for a political purpose.
  2. 2
    A secret plot.
  3. 3
    An identifiable group within the tradition of Discordianism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The cabal is plotting to ruin the world.
  2. Undaunted and implacable, prudent and active; no opposition of the French princes or nobles could withstand his vengeance, no cabals could escape his penetration.

Etymology

From French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabbala, which in turn is derived from Hebrew קַבָּלָה (kabalá, “Jewish mysticism”, literally “reception, something received”) (such as knowledge). Doublet of Kabbalah, as well as, more distantly, ghibli.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acbal
  • caabl
  • caball
  • cabbal
  • cabla
  • cbaal
  • ccabal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cabal - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acbal2caabl2caball1cabbal1cabla2cbaal2ccabal1
Edit distance from "cabal"

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 "cabal"?
"cabal" is spelled C-A-B-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈbɑːl/.
What does "cabal" mean?
As a noun, "cabal" means: A putative, secret organization of individuals gathered for a political purpose.
What words are commonly confused with "cabal"?
"cabal" is commonly confused with "cal", "CBA", "call". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cabal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cabal" is /kəˈbɑːl/. 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 "cabal"?
From French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabbala, which in turn is derived from Hebrew קַבָּלָה (kabalá, “Jewish mysticism”, literally “reception, something received”) (such as knowledge). Doublet of Kabbalah, as well as, more distantly, ghibli. 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 "cabal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list