cage

/keɪd͡ʒ/

//keɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"cage" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cage” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,766 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,766
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An enclosure made of bars, normally to hold animals.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cage vs CE
0% similar
cage vs CG
0% similar
cage vs can
50% similar

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

Key facts for cage
PropertyValue
Headwordcage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/keɪd͡ʒ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,766
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cage” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). cage lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cage is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /keɪd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,766 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cage, with forms such as "acge", "caeg", and "cagge". 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, "CE", "CG", "can", 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 cage, from Old French cage, from Latin cavea. Doublet of cadge and cavea and related to jail. The correct English form is cage, spelled C-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An enclosure made of bars, normally to hold animals.
  2. 2
    The passenger compartment of a lift.
  3. 3
    The goal.
  4. 4
    An automobile.
  5. 5
    Something that hinders freedom.
  6. 6
    A prison or prison cell.
  7. 7
    The area from which competitors throw a discus or hammer.
  8. 8
    An outer framework of timber, enclosing something within it.
  9. 9
    A skeleton frame to limit the motion of a loose piece, such as a ball valve.
  10. 10
    A wirework strainer, used in connection with pumps and pipes.
  11. 11
    The drum on which the rope is wound in a hoisting whim.
  12. 12
    The protective wire mask at the front of a helmet.
  13. 13
    A regular graph that has as few vertices as possible for its girth.
  14. 14
    In killer sudoku puzzles, an irregularly-shaped group of cells that must contain a set of unique digits adding up to a certain total, in addition to the usual constraints of sudoku.

Etymology

From Middle English cage, from Old French cage, from Latin cavea. Doublet of cadge and cavea and related to jail.

This word in other languages

jaula(Español)cage(Français)Käfig(Deutsch)gaiola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acge,caeg,cagge,ccage,cgae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acge2caeg2cagge1ccage1cgae2
Edit distance from "cage"

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 "cage"?
"cage" is spelled C-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /keɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "cage" mean?
As a noun, "cage" means: An enclosure made of bars, normally to hold animals.
What words are commonly confused with "cage"?
"cage" is commonly confused with "CE", "CG", "can". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cage" is /keɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "cage"?
From Middle English cage, from Old French cage, from Latin cavea. Doublet of cadge and cavea and related to jail. 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.

Using “cage”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-G-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /keɪd͡ʒ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CE” - see the side-by-side comparison. cage vs CE
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list