caboose
/kəˈbuːs/noun
caboose is spelled C-A-B-O-O-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, caboose means “A small sand-filled container used as an oven on board ship” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of caboose is cabooses; Wiktionary also lists cabeese (humorous), caboosen (humorous).
How many letters and syllables are in caboose?
| Letters | 7: C-A-B-O-O-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 47,633rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is caboose?
Caboose appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 47,633rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce caboose?
- /kəˈbuːs/
Caboose has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-caboose.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of caboose
- cabooses plural
- camboose
- cambouse
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does caboose mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
obsoleteA small galley or cookhouse on the deck of a small vessel.
- 2
A small sand-filled container used as an oven on board ship.
- 3
USThe last car on a freight train, consisting of cooking and sleeping facilities for the crew; a guard’s van.
- 4
slangThe buttocks.
- 5
slangThe person or team in last place.
- 6
informalA youngest child who is born after a long gap in time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Caboose in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Kombüse , Güterzugbegleitwagen, Bremserwagen , Hintern |
| Spanish | furgón de cola, vagón de cola, cabús , pompis, pompi, poto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does caboose come from?
From Dutch kabuis, kombuis (“galley, kitchen”) or German Low German Kabüüs (“galley”), from Middle Dutch cabûse and Middle Low German kabûs, kabûse respectively.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).