caboose

/kəˈbuːs/

//kəˈbuːs// noun

"caboose" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caboose” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,513. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,513
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caboose · caboose · English

caboose · rank #47,513 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #47,513
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH caballero

Nearest frequency peer: caballero (-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 “caboose”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caboose” 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).

caboose vs choose
71% similar

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

Key facts for caboose
PropertyValue
Headwordcaboose
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəˈbuːs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#47,513
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caboose”

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).cabooselands 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 “caballero” (#47,512), “Caesarean” (#47,514), “cair” (#47,515). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caboose” is #47,513. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around caboose (IPA /kəˈbuːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,513 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for caboose, with forms such as "acboose", "cabboose", and "cabooes". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "choose", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Dutch kabuis, kombuis (“galley, kitchen”) or German Low German Kabüüs (“galley”), from Middle Dutch cabûse and Middle Low German kabûs, kabûse respectively. Cognate with German Kabüse, Kombüse, Danish kabys, Swedish kabyss, French combuse (< Middle Dut… The correct English form is caboose, spelled C-A-B-O-O-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
  2. 2
    A small sand-filled container used as an oven on board ship.
  3. 3
    The last car on a freight train, consisting of cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a guard’s van.
  4. 4
    The buttocks.
  5. 5
    The person or team in last place.
  6. 6
    A youngest child who is born after a long gap in time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. On the second day out, while sailing moderately on our course in the Gulf Stream, a sudden squall of wind struck the ship from the SW. and knocked her completely on her beam-ends, stove one of our boats, entirely destroyed two others, and threw down the cambouse.
  2. This stove is to be made in the form of a Franklin, but is to be furnished with an oven, and other means of cooking; its appearance is therefore more like that of the old fashioned caboose, than of a Franklin stove.

Etymology

From Dutch kabuis, kombuis (“galley, kitchen”) or German Low German Kabüüs (“galley”), from Middle Dutch cabûse and Middle Low German kabûs, kabûse respectively. Cognate with German Kabüse, Kombüse, Danish kabys, Swedish kabyss, French combuse (< Middle Dutch kabuys). Probably related to English boose (“a stall or shed”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acboose
  • cabboose
  • cabooes
  • caboosse
  • cabose
  • cabosoe
  • caobose
  • cbaoose
  • ccaboose

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acboose2cabboose1cabooes2caboosse1cabose1cabosoe2caobose2cbaoose2
Edit distance from "caboose"

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 "caboose"?
"caboose" is spelled C-A-B-O-O-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈbuːs/.
What does "caboose" mean?
As a noun, "caboose" means: A small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
What words are commonly confused with "caboose"?
"caboose" is commonly confused with "choose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caboose"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caboose" is /kəˈbuːs/. 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 "caboose"?
From Dutch kabuis, kombuis (“galley, kitchen”) or German Low German Kabüüs (“galley”), from Middle Dutch cabûse and Middle Low German kabûs, kabûse respectively. Cognate with German Kabüse, Kombüse, Danish kabys, Swedish kabyss, French combuse (< ... 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 "caboose", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list