cadge
/kæd͡ʒ/verb, noun
cadge is spelled C-A-D-G-E: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, cadge means “To beg” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in cadge?
| Letters | 5: C-A-D-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 39 million words; the 191,932nd 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 cadge?
Cadge appears about once in every 39 million words in written English, the 191,932nd 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 cadge?
- /kæd͡ʒ/
Cadge has one syllable (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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cadge.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cadge
- cadges present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- cadging participle, present
- cadgin participle, present
- cadged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cadge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo tie, fasten.
- 2
To beg.
- 3
UKUSslangTo obtain something by wit or guile; to convince people to do something they might not normally do.
Are ye gannin te cadge a lift of yoer fatha?
- 4
To carry hawks and other birds of prey.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:cadge.
- 5
ScotlandUKTo carry, as a burden.
- 6
ScotlandUKTo hawk or peddle, as fish, poultry, etc.
noun
- 1
A circular frame on which cadgers carry hawks for sale.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cadge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 cadge come from?
From Middle English caggen (“to tie, fasten, bind”), probably from Old Norse. Compare Old Norse kǫgurr (“quilt”), kǫgurbarn (“swaddled child”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).