caiman

/ˈkeɪ.mən/

//ˈkeɪ.mən// noun

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

"caiman" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caiman” is uncommon English (frequency #73,940 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,940
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caiman · caiman · English

caiman · rank #73,940 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,940
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Caldecott

Nearest frequency peer: Caldecott (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “caiman”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “caiman” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for caiman
PropertyValue
Headwordcaiman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkeɪ.mən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#73,940
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “caiman” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Caldecott” (#73,941), “buprenorphine” (#73,938), “bunching” (#73,937). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caiman” is #73,940. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

caiman is uncommon English at frequency #73,940 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkeɪ.mən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for caiman, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Spanish caimán or Portuguese caimão, from Kari'na acayouman. The correct English form is caiman, spelled C-A-I-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.
  2. 2
    A crocodilian of the subfamily Caimaninae, which includes the very large black caiman.
  3. 3
    A semi-aquatic lizard, of the genus Dracaena, found in South America. To differentiate from caimans, they are referred to as caiman lizards.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Caimans are reptiles that are closely related to their Central and South American neighbors, the alligators. Adult caimans are usually four to six feet (1.8 m) in length.
  2. 2002, International Wildlife Encyclopedia: Brown bear - Cheetah, 3rd Edition, page 358, The caimans are found in South America, mainly in the Amazon basin, with one species extending into the southern part of Mexico and another reaching northern parts of Argentina.

Etymology

From Spanish caimán or Portuguese caimão, from Kari'na acayouman.

This word in other languages

caimán(Español)caïman(Français)Kaiman(Deutsch)

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 "caiman"?
"caiman" is spelled C-A-I-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkeɪ.mən/.
What does "caiman" mean?
As a noun, "caiman" means: Any of the relatively small crocodilians of the genus Caiman, within the family Alligatoridae.
How do you pronounce "caiman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caiman" is /ˈkeɪ.mən/. 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 "caiman"?
From Spanish caimán or Portuguese caimão, from Kari'na acayouman. 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 "caiman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

carden#73,945bulked#73,933Botton#73,919choreo#73,963

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list