cabin

/ˈkæbɪn/

//ˈkæbɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cabin” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,765. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,765
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 small dwelling characteristic of the frontier, especially when built from logs with simple tools and not constructed by professional builders, but by those who meant to live in it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cabin · cabin · English

cabin · rank #5,765 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,765
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH breach

Nearest frequency peer: breach (-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 “cabin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cabin” 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).

cabin vs can
60% similar
cabin vs Cai
40% similar
cabin vs coin
60% similar

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

Key facts for cabin
PropertyValue
Headwordcabin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæbɪn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,765
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cabin”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cabinlands 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 “breach” (#5,764), “cage” (#5,766), “boundary” (#5,763). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cabin” is #5,765. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cabin (IPA /ˈkæbɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,765 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cabin, with forms such as "acbin", "cabbin", and "cabinn". 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, "can", "Cai", "coin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English caban, cabane, from Old French cabane, from Medieval Latin capanna (“a cabin”); see further etymology there. Doublet of cabana and cabane. The correct English form is cabin, spelled C-A-B-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small dwelling characteristic of the frontier, especially when built from logs with simple tools and not constructed by professional builders, but by those who meant to live in it.
  2. 2
    A chalet or lodge, especially one that can hold large groups of people.
  3. 3
    A private room on a ship.
  4. 4
    The interior of a boat, enclosed to create a small room, particularly for sleeping.
  5. 5
    The passenger area of an airplane.
  6. 6
    The section of a passenger plane having the same class of service.
  7. 7
    A signal box.
  8. 8
    A small room; an enclosed place.
  9. 9
    A private office; particularly of a doctor, businessman, lawyer, or other professional.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin.
  2. And that was how long we stayed in the cabin, pressed together, pulling the future out of each other, sweating and groaning and making sure each of us remembered.

Etymology

From Middle English caban, cabane, from Old French cabane, from Medieval Latin capanna (“a cabin”); see further etymology there. Doublet of cabana and cabane.

Synonyms

cellchamberpod

This word in other languages

barraca(Español)cabane(Français)Hütte(Deutsch)cabana(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acbin
  • cabbin
  • cabinn
  • cabni
  • caibn
  • cbain
  • ccabin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cabin - 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.

acbin2cabbin1cabinn1cabni2caibn2cbain2ccabin1
Edit distance from "cabin"

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 "cabin"?
"cabin" is spelled C-A-B-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæbɪn/.
What does "cabin" mean?
As a noun, "cabin" means: A small dwelling characteristic of the frontier, especially when built from logs with simple tools and not constructed by professional builders, but by those who meant to live in it.
What words are commonly confused with "cabin"?
"cabin" is commonly confused with "can", "Cai", "coin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cabin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cabin" is /ˈkæbɪn/. 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 "cabin"?
From Middle English caban, cabane, from Old French cabane, from Medieval Latin capanna (“a cabin”); see further etymology there. Doublet of cabana and cabane. 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 "cabin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

arrow#5,758alike#5,756eagle#5,785Tours#5,745

Similar misspelling depth

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

fitted7 variantssweat7 variantsguilt7 variantshaven7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list