cadre

/ˈkɑː.də/

//ˈkɑː.də// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cadre” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,394. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,394
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A frame or framework.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cadre · cadre · English

cadre · rank #27,394 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,394
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 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 “cadre”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cadre” 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).

cadre vs car
60% similar
cadre vs CDR
0% similar
cadre vs care
80% similar

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

Key facts for cadre
PropertyValue
Headwordcadre
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑː.də/
Letters5
Frequency rank#27,394
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cadre”

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).cadrelands 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), “campground” (#27,395), “cabal” (#27,392). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cadre” is #27,394. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around cadre (IPA /ˈkɑː.də/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,394 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cadre, with forms such as "acdre", "caddre", and "cader". 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, "car", "CDR", "care", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cadre, from Italian quadro (“framed painting, square”), from Latin quadrum, from quattuor (“four”). The correct English form is cadre, spelled C-A-D-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A frame or framework.
  2. 2
    The framework or skeleton upon which a new regiment is to be formed; the officers of a regiment forming the staff.
  3. 3
    The core of a managing group, or a member of such a group.
  4. 4
    A small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] He took away the frame itself, as well as the notice. Mr. MacCulloch. I recollect Mr. Dobrée stating that his reason for taking the cadre was, that the notice was pasted, and that he could not unpaste it.
  2. From the original plan, thirty-four cadre battalions, with a total of 116 companies, had actually been formed, a total of about 700 officers and another 600 key enlisted men.

Etymology

Borrowed from French cadre, from Italian quadro (“framed painting, square”), from Latin quadrum, from quattuor (“four”).

This word in other languages

armazón(Español)cadre(Français)Kader(Deutsch)armação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acdre
  • caddre
  • cader
  • cadrre
  • ccadre
  • cdare

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acdre2caddre1cader2cadrre1ccadre1cdare2
Edit distance from "cadre"

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 "cadre"?
"cadre" is spelled C-A-D-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑː.də/.
What does "cadre" mean?
As a noun, "cadre" means: A frame or framework.
What words are commonly confused with "cadre"?
"cadre" is commonly confused with "car", "CDR", "care". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cadre"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cadre" is /ˈkɑː.də/. 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 "cadre"?
Borrowed from French cadre, from Italian quadro (“framed painting, square”), from Latin quadrum, from quattuor (“four”). 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 "cadre", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

cabal#27,392cramp#27,418decoy#27,424Argos#27,363

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

cmon6 variantswhey6 variantsfisk6 variantsfussy6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list